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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

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

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

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."