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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

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

Personal Link

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

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted 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 story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."