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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

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

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced 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 strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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