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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

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

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

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