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

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

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Challenge

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

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

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which represents 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 religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," they noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed 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 persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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