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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

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

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited 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 institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

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

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, 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," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."