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People who experienced sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their first encounter with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the pontiff's decision to meet with them so early in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the issue.

Worldwide Strict Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

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

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

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who took the role in spring, has taken on this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic meeting on paedophilia within the institution and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we aim to collaborate with him," they expressed. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which includes victims and advocates from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.

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

The pontiff was described as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in North America.

They noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "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 very open and keen to collaborate with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

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

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released Vatican-commissioned report highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of misconduct or failure to act."

The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "critical requirement for bishops and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the Pope at the beginning of their meeting: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the encounter, they expressed optimism for future change.

"We realise it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, uniting and building a connection and persisting to strengthen that relationship is a move in the correct path," they stated.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative concludes - he valued that."