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

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following 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 persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."