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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized 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 haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."