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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

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

Deeply Felt Link

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

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims 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, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told the pontiff 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 meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."