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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

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

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Inherited Issue

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

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

Deeply Felt Link

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

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope 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 the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."