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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

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

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

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

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, 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 "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

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

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."