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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."