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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

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

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

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "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," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."