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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

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For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, 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 stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."