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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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