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People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

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For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

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

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials 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 major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."