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People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

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 cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

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