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People who endured abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Global Strict Policy Advocated

The organization is pushing for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.

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

"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is resistance," Hickey remarked.

Inherited Challenge

The new Pope, who assumed the role in May, has inherited this longstanding problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the campaign for worldwide adoption of the policy is deeply meaningful. The North American advocate shared they were victimized by a priest who was subsequently moved between various churches.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," Hickey expressed. "We have the same goal, we want to end clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was characterized as "quite empathetic" when listening to the story of a woman abused at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.

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

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I felt like he was genuine, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

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

They have spoken with specialists and compiled materials that they will submit to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered document highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of religious officials or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."

The document also pointed out that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for inaction and cover-up."

Moving Forward

Hickey revealed they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

After the encounter, they voiced optimism for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a connection and continuing to build that relationship is a step in the right direction," Hickey commented.

Hickey added that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."