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People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Link

For Hickey, 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 priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted 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 report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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