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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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