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

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

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

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

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

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened 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 Canada.

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."