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People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, commented that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to addressing the issue.

Global Strict Policy 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 been implemented in the US.

The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

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

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who took the position in May, has inherited this persistent problem that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For the representative, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the policy is personal. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was subsequently transferred between different parishes.

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

Historic Meeting

Multiple members of the coalition, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own story and seemed "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Victims have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have consulted specialists and gathered documents that they plan to submit to the pontiff.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a efficient process for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The report also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Moving Forward

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for progress.

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

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