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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

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

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."