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People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

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For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."