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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."