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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."