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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after 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 early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence 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 engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."