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

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."