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People who endured abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

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

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."