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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy 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 decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions 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."

Church Regulations Changes

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

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

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

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

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."