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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition 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.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."