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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

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

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced 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 relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

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