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

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they informed the pontiff 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 future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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