Pope Leo XIV Addresses Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal

Survivors of Catholic clergy sex abuse met with Pope Leo XIV, expressing hope for a global zero-tolerance policy on abusive priests. The group, Ending Clergy Abuse (ECA Global), pushed for permanently removing priests who admit to or are proven to have sexually abused children. Pope Leo acknowledged resistance to this policy in some parts of the world. The meeting, described as 'historic' and 'a big step,' lasted an hour, with the Pope listening empathetically to survivors' stories. ECA Global hopes to work with the Pope to implement the policy worldwide through a change in canon law.

Pope Leo XIV has created seven new saints in a ceremony at the Vatican, including a former Satanic priest, a Venezuelan 'doctor of the poor', and several nuns and martyrs. The new saints were honored for their exemplary Christian lives and their contributions to the faith. The ceremony was attended by an estimated 70,000 people, and the Pope encouraged the faithful to lean on their faith in times of suffering.

Pope Leo XIV met with survivors of clergy sexual abuse and advocates from the organization Ending Clergy Abuse, marking a significant step in addressing the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal. The meeting, which lasted about an hour, included four victims and two advocates, and was seen as a departure from his predecessors who had kept activist organizations at arm's length. The group is campaigning to universalize the U.S. church's zero-tolerance abuse policy, and Pope Leo acknowledged resistance to the idea but expressed a willingness to work with them.