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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

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

Hickey concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."