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

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

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

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or negligence."

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

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, they 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 connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."