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People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed 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 decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

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

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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