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People who endured sexual abuse by church officials have voiced renewed hope following their first meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's choice to engage with them so early in his leadership spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed

The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this persistent issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Personal Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his leadership, because we want to collaborate with him," Hickey expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which represents victims and advocates from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the account of a woman victimized at a church-run institution for native youth in Canada.

Hickey added the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," Hickey stated. "I felt like he was genuine, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

The representative shared they informed the Pope at the start of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he appreciated that."