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People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed 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 meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

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

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."