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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

They added the leader was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."