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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope'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 Pushed

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

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."