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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

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

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."