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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

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

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

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, 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 stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

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

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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