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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical 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 situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

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

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."