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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

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

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest 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. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

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

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We understand 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 bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."