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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

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

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

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

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the Pope 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 encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."