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

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

The Pope recognized 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 pushback," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

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

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."