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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest 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 common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen 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 experts and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

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

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

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

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."