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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, 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," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

"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 bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

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