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People who experienced 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 soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged 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 the representative.

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

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"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 persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."