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

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."