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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads 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.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope 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 acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

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

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."