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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, 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," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."