Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."
Historic Encounter
Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start 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 expressed optimism for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.
Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."
