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

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is resistance," they stated.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

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

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that changes to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."