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

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning 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 optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.

Hickey concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."