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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

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

The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

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

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

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

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope 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 build that relationship is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."