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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."