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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

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

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 pushback," Hickey stated.

Legacy Issue

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

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

Personal Link

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the start of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

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

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