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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads 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 tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey voiced 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 move in the correct path," they commented.

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