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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

The board president, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

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