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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

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

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, 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," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage 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 happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."