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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually 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 initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue 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 conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."