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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

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

Personal Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described 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 "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."