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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

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

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

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

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, 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 described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that bond is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

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