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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

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

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

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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