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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended 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 female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school 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 making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

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

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

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

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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