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Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses 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 subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the common objective, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity 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 survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.

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