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

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Victims have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted experts and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey voiced hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the right direction," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."