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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

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