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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

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