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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Global Strict Approach Advocated

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."