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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued 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.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."