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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates 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 Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."