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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

They added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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