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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, 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 hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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