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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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

Global Strict 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 policy has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

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

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."