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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

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

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," they noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed 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 relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."