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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

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

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."