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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."