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People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

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

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."