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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters 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 "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

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

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."