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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"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 want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."