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People who endured 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 Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

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

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff 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 Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

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

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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