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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."