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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

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

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, 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 woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."