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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads 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.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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