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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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