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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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