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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told 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 meeting, Hickey expressed hope 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 connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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