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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

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

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, 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 listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

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

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."