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

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.

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