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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."