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People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told 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."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

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

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."