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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope 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 the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

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