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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

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

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, they 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 building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."