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People who endured abuse by church officials 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 pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

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

Deeply Felt Connection

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

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

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

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue 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 connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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