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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group 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 been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

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For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

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

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing 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 dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."