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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."