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

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member 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 eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled 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 listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

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

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."