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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

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

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

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

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

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

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Moving Forward

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for future change.

"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 bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he valued that."