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

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged 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 described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.

"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 relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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