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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized 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 collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

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

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity 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 document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "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 future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."