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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

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

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance 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 May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

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

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

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

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

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

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