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

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach 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 approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

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

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Meeting

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

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

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

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," they commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."