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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

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

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

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

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."