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

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

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

"He appeared interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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