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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

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

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Challenge

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

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

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

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

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, 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 listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

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

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge 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 happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.

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