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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."