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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

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

The Pope recognized 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.

Inherited Challenge

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

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed 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."

After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."