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

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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 documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."