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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

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

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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