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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand 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 build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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