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

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

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

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."