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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented 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 organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

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

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."