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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

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

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted 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, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."