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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, 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 listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

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

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials 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 concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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