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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

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

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders 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 represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."