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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged 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 pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

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

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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