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

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Inherited Issue

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

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were victimized 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," they stated. "We have the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and advocates from more than 30 countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and appeared "very humble, humorous, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they will present to the pontiff.

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for progress.

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

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