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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

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

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

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

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he valued that."