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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

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

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he appreciated that."