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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed 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 building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."