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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads 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 addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."