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People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, 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 described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable 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 reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."