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People who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first meeting 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 leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

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 child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

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

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey added the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

"He seemed engaged in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."