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People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

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

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise 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," Hickey stated.

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