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

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

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

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

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

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

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

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."