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

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

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

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