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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

The Pope recognized 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 remarked.

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

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

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."