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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

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

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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