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People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors 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 sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

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

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."