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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."