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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

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

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

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

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope 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 connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."