People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Global Strict Policy Pushed
The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Emphasized
A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."
Path Ahead
The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
