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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."