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

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

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

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed 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 expressed optimism for future change.

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

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."