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People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Inherited Issue

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report highlighted 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 survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they told the Pope 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 encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a connection and continuing to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," they commented.

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