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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, 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 Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive 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 revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."