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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial 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 leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

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

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."