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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."