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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Challenge

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

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

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

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

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."