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

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition 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," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

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

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.

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