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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy 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 Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Pushed

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a child. 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 Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

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

"We trust this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will enable the adoption of the strict approach worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

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

The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a challenge for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," they stated.

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