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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy 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 been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."