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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

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

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

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

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand 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 step in the correct path," they commented.

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