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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

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

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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