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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed 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 Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

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For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey voiced 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 building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

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