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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy 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 decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope 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 leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise 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 correct path," they stated.

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