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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently 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 abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

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

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."