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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The group is advocating 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 United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged 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 pushback," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

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

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."