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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

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