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People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo 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 papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."