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People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

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

The Pope acknowledged 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," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

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For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims 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 full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted 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 keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested 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 removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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 meeting, they expressed optimism 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 building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."