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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."