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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."