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

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. This approach has been implemented in the US.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.

Inherited Issue

The new Pope, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented meeting on paedophilia within the Church and revisions to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American activist shared they were victimized by a priest 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 stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we seek to eliminate abuse by religious officials."

Significant Meeting

Seven representatives of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.

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 pontiff was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Reforms

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

They have spoken with experts and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.

Responsibility Highlighted

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

Hickey revealed they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This represents as much a challenge for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and building a relationship and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the right direction," they commented.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."