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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

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

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, 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 listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the leader 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 feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."