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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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 dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

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

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

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

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."