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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

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