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Individuals who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."