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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

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

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

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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