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

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, 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 felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.

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