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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

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

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

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

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

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After 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 bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."