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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter 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 soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of 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 proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey 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 continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."