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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

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

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed 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."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

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