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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the leader was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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