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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

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

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between various churches.

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

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a Catholic residential school for native youth in North America.

They added the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

The group is advocating that changes to canon law will facilitate the implementation of the strict approach worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," Hickey noted.

Responsibility Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

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

After the meeting, Hickey expressed optimism for progress.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a move in the correct path," Hickey commented.

Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he valued that."