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

Gemma Hickey, heading Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Legacy Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and appeared "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."