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

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism 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 connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."