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Individuals who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced fresh optimism after their first encounter with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

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

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," they commented.

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