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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

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

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."