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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, 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," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed engaged in reviewing it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

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

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

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

Hickey added that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."