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

The board president, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.

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

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

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

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

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

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "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 conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."