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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

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

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

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

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

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

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

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

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