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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

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

The Pope acknowledged that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

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

They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared engaged in looking at it," they remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."