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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates 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 "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

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

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

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

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

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."