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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an historic summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was later moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

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

Canon Law Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope 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 connection and persisting to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they stated.

They concluded that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."