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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, 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 woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

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

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."