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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Inherited Issue

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

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

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

Significant Encounter

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."