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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process 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 consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

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