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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

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

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."