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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."