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

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

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 approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

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

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."