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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue 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 end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."