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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter 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 soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

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

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff 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 Hickey.

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

They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

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

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."