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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted 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 very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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