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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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 dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"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 genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

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

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