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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We realise 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 relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."