Pope Leo Calls Church to Confront Abuse

Pope Leo has called on the Catholic Church to acknowledge its failings and work to heal the “deep wounds” caused within the Church, speaking in Lourdes hours before a private meeting with seven French survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Addressing a crowd of more than 150,000, he urged the Church to face its past, though he did not directly mention the French abuse scandals. In a separate meeting with French bishops, he referred to abuse of minors by clergy as a “painful scourge,” thanked bishops for measures taken, and called for continued vigilance and stronger safeguarding efforts. The visit comes amid efforts to restore confidence in the Church after a 2021 report estimated that about 330,000 French children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades. Survivors expressed doubt that their meeting with the Pope would produce swift change, while a French bishops’ spokesperson said the encounter showed the issue could not be ignored. Pope Leo has previously urged bishops in Spain to listen to survivors and provide reparations. Lourdes, a major pilgrimage destination, is also linked to allegations against prominent religious artist Reverend Marko Rupnik, whose mosaics decorate the shrine. More than 20 women have accused him of sexual abuse; five alleged victims recently wrote to the Pope criticizing the ongoing Vatican trial. The mosaics have been covered during his visit. The Pope’s France trip also included opposition to assisted dying, which France recently legalized in certain circumstances. He argued against what he described as trends that redefine the value of human life during illness.

Pope Leo has urged French bishops to remain highly vigilant and continue efforts to root out sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. He made the remarks during a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, on the third day of his four-day official visit to France, ahead of a planned private meeting with abuse survivors. A 2021 inquiry found that clergy and lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 children in France over a 70-year period. The Pope later celebrated Mass in Lourdes before thousands of worshippers. The visit follows a large gathering in Paris, where an estimated 700,000 people came to hear the pontiff speak. He also met French President Emmanuel Macron. In an address to worshippers, Leo encouraged Catholics to share their faith and praised young people for their enthusiasm and commitment to Christian communities. The article places the visit against a backdrop of declining religious participation in France: regular worship fell from 35% of the population in 1960 to less than 5% today, while the number of priests has dropped by about two-thirds since 1990. At the same time, adult baptisms have more than doubled in five years, reaching 10,000 in 2025, suggesting renewed interest in religious tradition. The Pope’s Sunday schedule included meeting staff and residents at a Lourdes health facility and taking part in an evening torchlight procession. It is his first official visit to France since he was chosen to lead the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025. The article notes the contrast between France’s secular political history and its deep Catholic roots.

During the third day of his four-day visit to France, Pope Leo celebrated Sunday Mass at the Catholic shrine of Lourdes before a crowd of about 150,000. The shrine is regarded by Catholics as a place of healing and has also been visited by survivors of sexual abuse seeking recovery. In his sermon, Leo spoke of respecting life, including the sick and frail, in remarks interpreted as indirect criticism of euthanasia and abortion. He described people’s disabilities and private grief not as obstacles but as reasons they should be welcomed and respected. The pope was scheduled to meet seven adult survivors of sexual abuse later that day. The meeting formed part of the Catholic Church’s continuing reckoning with the widespread abuse of children by clergy and lay leaders, and efforts by senior Church figures in many countries to cover up the scandal. A 2021 report estimated that about 330,000 children in France were abused by Catholic priests and lay leaders between 1950 and 2020. Although Leo did not directly address abuse during the Mass, he called on clergy to acknowledge mistakes and said humility was necessary to heal wounds and painful errors within the Church. Survivor advocate Michele Le Reun-Gaigne cautioned that change was slow and would not happen overnight. Earlier, meeting French bishops, Leo praised their response to abuse committed against minors by clergy or in Church settings. He commended their efforts to listen, pursue truth and justice, offer forgiveness and make amends, and build a culture of prevention and protection. He urged them to continue their work with the greatest vigilance.

Pope Leo XIV is continuing his visit to France with a stop in Lourdes on Sunday, 27 September 2026. Earlier in the day, he met with the bishops of France at the Saint Bernadette auditorium at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, then was scheduled to attend Mass at the prairie. The article also says the Pope is due to meet victims of clerical sexual abuse in Lourdes, a town in southwestern France near the foothills of the Pyrenees. The meeting is presented as part of his Lourdes programme; the article does not report its outcome. The next stage of the visit is scheduled for Monday, when Leo XIV is due to travel to Metz in northeastern France. There, he is expected to take part in an interreligious meeting and give a speech described as being “to the roots of Europe for peace and unity.” His France visit is then set to conclude with a farewell ceremony at Metz–Nancy–Lorraine airport. Euronews invites readers to watch the trip live and links to related coverage about the Pope’s arrival in Lourdes, the crowds in Paris, and practical information about the visit. The article’s focus is on the itinerary and planned events, including the meeting with abuse survivors and the Pope’s forthcoming engagements in Metz. It does not provide further details about the meeting’s format, the participants, or the content of the planned speech.

Pope Leo is visiting France on a four-day official trip, the first papal visit to the country in nearly two decades. The article reports that, on the third day of the visit, he travelled to Lourdes, a pilgrimage town in southwestern France, where he was expected to meet privately with seven people who were sexually abused by clergy. The meeting follows his promise to intensify efforts to reform the Catholic Church in response to the global sexual abuse scandal. Leo, described as the first US pontiff, is the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. His visit is taking place in a secular country with deep Catholic roots. The headline also links his appeal for “wise leaders” to the approaching French election, but the supplied article text does not explain that appeal or provide details about the election. The report describes believers greeting the pope on his way to Mass and includes the experience of Domitille Bardoul, a 26-year-old who travelled by train from Paris and woke before dawn to wait for prayers in Lourdes. The supplied excerpt ends there, so it offers limited detail about the victims’ experiences, the planned meeting, the Church’s reform efforts or the political context. Its focus is on the visit’s setting, the anticipated meeting with survivors and the pope’s stated commitment to reform.

Pope Leo XIV urged the Catholic Church to acknowledge its past failings and work to heal the harm caused within its ranks, shortly before meeting seven people abused by French clergy. Speaking to an estimated 150,000 people in Lourdes on Sept 27, he called for the Church to face its past with humility, though he did not directly mention the French abuse scandals in his public address. In a meeting with French bishops earlier that day, he referred explicitly to the abuse of minors by clergy, praised measures taken to confront the scandals and urged continued vigilance and stronger safeguarding efforts. The visit comes as French Church leaders seek to restore the institution’s standing after a 2021 report estimated that about 330,000 children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over seven decades. Some survivors said they doubted the planned meeting with the Pope would lead to rapid change. Survivor advocate Michele le Reun-Gaigne said progress was slow, while a French bishops’ spokesman said the meeting showed the issue could not be ignored. Lourdes is also associated with a separate Vatican-linked controversy involving religious artist Marko Rupnik, who has been accused of sexual abuse by more than 20 women. His mosaics at the shrine were covered with yellow tarps during the Pope’s visit. Five alleged victims had written to Leo criticizing the ongoing Vatican trial of Rupnik. Leo’s four-day visit included events in three French cities and followed a large Paris mass. He also reiterated the Church’s opposition to assisted dying, arguing that the shrine’s welcome for sick pilgrims contrasts with trends that seek to redefine the value of human life during illness.