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Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated

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

The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to the representative.

"We were all being realistic when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

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

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American activist shared they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

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

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

The pontiff was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal story and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Changes

The organization is hoping that changes to canon law will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.

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

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

Responsibility Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

After the meeting, they expressed optimism for progress.

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

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."