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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

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

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced 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 building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."