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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, 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," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He appeared interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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