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

Gemma Hickey, heading the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.

Global Strict Approach Advocated

The group is pushing for a global strict approach that would defrock any clergy member who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff 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 resistance," Hickey stated.

Inherited Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the position in May, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later moved between various churches.

"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they stated. "Both sides share the same goal, we want to eliminate clergy abuse."

Historic Encounter

Multiple members of the organization, which represents victims and supporters from more than 30 countries, engaged with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and very down to earth."

"Victims have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."

Church Regulations Changes

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

They have spoken with specialists and gathered documents that they will present to Pope Leo.

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

Accountability Highlighted

A recently released church-ordered document emphasized the "importance of a streamlined protocol for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The report also pointed out that victims repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

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

After the meeting, they voiced optimism for future change.

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

They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a difficult period, I feel like we can alter how the story ends - he valued that."