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

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue 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 church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced optimism 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 building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."