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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table 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 collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."