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

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who took the position in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

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For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist shared they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which includes victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

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

Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted experts and compiled documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism 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 continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They added that they told with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the story ends - he appreciated that."