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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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 commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. 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 stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently 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 same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse 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."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise 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 relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."