Pope Leo Reaffirms Commitment to End Clergy Abuse

Pope Leo has reaffirmed his commitment to preventing abuse by Catholic priests during a meeting with seven survivors in Lourdes, France.

The Vatican said the meeting took place on Sunday, during the Pope’s four-day visit to France. The seven survivors were abused by members of the French clergy.

The Pope thanked them for sharing their painful experiences and promised to help prevent similar abuse from happening to others.

The Vatican said Leo had “thanked them for their painful testimony and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the harm they experienced is not repeated for others.”

The meeting came during Leo’s first major visit to France, which includes stops in three cities over four days.

Local Catholic bishops hope the visit will help rebuild trust in the Church after years of abuse scandals.

The Church’s reputation in France was badly damaged by a major 2021 report on child sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The report caused widespread shock across the country and exposed decades of abuse involving children.

Leo’s meeting with survivors comes as the Catholic Church continues efforts to address abuse, support victims and strengthen safeguards against further harm.

The Pope has repeatedly stressed the need to protect vulnerable people and ensure that abuse is not repeated within the Church.

His visit to Lourdes, a major Catholic pilgrimage site, has therefore placed renewed attention on the Church’s response to survivors and its efforts to rebuild public trust.