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

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

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

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

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

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."