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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

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

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

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

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

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, 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, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."