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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

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

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

Inherited Issue

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

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, 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," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct 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 concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff 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 meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."