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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his official residence.

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

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "tender" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He appeared interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."