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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

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

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

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

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."