Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.
Global Strict Policy Advocated
The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Deeply Felt Connection
For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.
"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.
"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."
Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."
