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

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

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

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism 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 strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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