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

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Issue

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

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

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

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors 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, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."