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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."