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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

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

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 nations, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

They added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

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

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