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Individuals who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed renewed hope after their initial encounter with Pope Leo at the Holy See.

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

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "opposition 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 remarked.

Legacy Challenge

The current pontiff, who assumed the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for decades.

Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on paedophilia within the Church and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Deeply Felt Link

For Hickey, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian activist revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was subsequently moved between different parishes.

"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to collaborate with him," they stated. "Both sides share the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Meeting

Multiple members of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from over thirty nations, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, initially planned for a brief period, extended to a full hour, during which the religious leader "mostly listened to us," according to Hickey.

The pontiff was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a woman abused at a Catholic residential school for Indigenous children in Canada.

Hickey noted the Pope was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."

"Survivors have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was giving us lip service," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and very open and eager to work with us."

Canon Law Reforms

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.

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

"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of religious officials or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also noted that survivors consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and major superiors to be held accountable for inaction and concealment."

Path Ahead

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

Following the encounter, they voiced hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the end of the day, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a move in the correct path," they stated.

They added that they shared with the pontiff: "Even though it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative concludes - he appreciated that."