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People who experienced abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," Hickey stated.

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

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

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."