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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

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

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

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

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."