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

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."