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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach globally.

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."