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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

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

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

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For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

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

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"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 continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

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