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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, 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 Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey 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 establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."