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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."