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

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

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

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."