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

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "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, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."