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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

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

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

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

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, 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, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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