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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

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 noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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