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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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