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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pope acknowledged 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," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

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

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest 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. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

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

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

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

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism 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 bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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