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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Challenge

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

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

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For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk 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 conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."