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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral 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 various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

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

"Survivors 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 genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise 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 build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."