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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member 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 "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

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