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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, 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 child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, 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 woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed 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 continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."