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

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims 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 genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

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

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."