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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting 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 leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."