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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document 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 shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced 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 building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."