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

Gemma Hickey, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to engage with them so soon in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to tackling the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated

The group is advocating for a global strict approach that would defrock any priest who admits to or is found guilty of sexually abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the US.

The Pope recognized that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is resistance," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent problem that has plagued the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to address the situation included an historic summit on child abuse within the institution and revisions to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Connection

For the representative, who prefers they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is personal. The Canadian advocate shared they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between various churches.

"We trust 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 end abuse by religious officials."

Historic Encounter

Seven representatives of the organization, which includes victims and supporters from over thirty countries, met with the Pontiff in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.

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

They noted the leader was "compassionate" about their personal experience and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

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

Canon Law Reforms

The organization is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have consulted specialists and compiled documents that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," they remarked.

Accountability Emphasized

A recently released church-ordered report emphasized the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of religious officials or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."

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

Path Ahead

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

After the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.

"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and establishing a connection and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.

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