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

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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 recognized that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

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

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted 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 very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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 dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

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