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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey added 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."