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

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

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For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred 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 same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

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

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."