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Individuals who experienced abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope after their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "resistance in some parts of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from over thirty countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

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

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "very humble, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that revisions to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the encounter, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," they commented.

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."