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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

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

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates 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 the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."