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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized 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 remarked.

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions 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 submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

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

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