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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."