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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

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For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

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

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

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