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People who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial encounter 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 soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Worldwide Strict Approach Pushed

The group is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This policy has already been adopted in the US.

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

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

Inherited Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in spring, has taken on this longstanding problem that has haunted the Church for many years.

Earlier attempts to address the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and changes to canon law to clearly outlaw abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his leadership, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, lasted to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

Hickey added the Pope was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "very humble, humorous, and approachable."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I felt like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and keen to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The organization is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

They have consulted specialists and compiled materials that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and concealment."

Path Ahead

Hickey shared they told the Pope at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they voiced hope for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the right direction," they 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 appreciated that."