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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism after their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The group is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the situation included an unprecedented meeting on child abuse within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American activist 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 aim to collaborate with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

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

They added the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience 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 making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Canon Law Changes

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

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

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

Responsibility Highlighted

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

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

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a challenge for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope 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 continuing to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they stated.

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