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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating 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 Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."