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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial 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 engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

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

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

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."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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