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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

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

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, 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, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, 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 relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."