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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told 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."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."