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

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, 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 work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he appreciated that."