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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

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

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

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

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down 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 church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."