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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

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

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

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

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders 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 negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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