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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

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

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."