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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

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

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, 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 "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, they expressed 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 strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."