People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.
They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.
They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.
They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."
