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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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 pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."