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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

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

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

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

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

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.

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