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

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

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

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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