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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

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

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."