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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope 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 Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"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 relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."