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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."