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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction 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."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."