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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

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

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

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

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

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

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

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

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen 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 narrative concludes - he appreciated that."