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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

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

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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