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People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

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

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

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

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.

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

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