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People who endured abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Seven members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, 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, realistic, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

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

They concluded that they shared with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."