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

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document 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 report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

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

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."