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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors 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, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."