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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism after their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his dedication to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach 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 Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to the representative.

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

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 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 "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their own story and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement 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 beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for progress.

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

Hickey added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."