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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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 dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

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For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move 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 valued that."