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, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.
The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Issue
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.
Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.
The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."
Canon Law Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.
Accountability Highlighted
A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."
The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."
Path Ahead
Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.
"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."
