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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The organization 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 Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative 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, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We understand 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 persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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