27-09-2026
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.
Entities: Pope Leo, Catholic Church, France, Lourdes, Paris • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
During his four-day official visit to France, Pope Leo urged French bishops to remain vigilant and continue efforts to address sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Speaking at a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, he called abuse a “painful scourge” and stressed that the Church must persevere in confronting it. His remarks followed a 2021 French inquiry that found clergy and other Church members had abused about 330,000 people as children over seven decades. After celebrating Mass in Lourdes, Leo met seven survivors. The Vatican said he thanked them for their testimony and reaffirmed his commitment to preventing further harm. Survivor Jean-Marie Delbos described the meeting as extraordinary and said the Pope listened and learned about their cases.
The visit also included large public gatherings: an estimated 700,000 people came to hear Leo in Paris, where he encouraged Catholics to share their faith and praised young people’s energy and commitment. The article sets those scenes against changes in French religious life. Regular worship has declined sharply since 1960, and the number of priests has fallen by about two-thirds since 1990, although adult baptisms more than doubled in the five years to 2025.
The article places the French abuse crisis in a wider history of revelations and investigations, including reporting by the Boston Globe, a 2004 US Church-commissioned report, and reforms initiated by Pope Francis. It notes that abuse has been reported across many countries and that problems remain. Leo’s France visit also included a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron and events at Lourdes, including a torchlight procession. France is described as secular in its modern political history while retaining deep Catholic roots.
Entities: Pope Leo XIV, Pope Francis, Jean-Marie Delbos, Emmanuel Macron, Roman Catholic Church • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
During the third day of his four-day visit to France, Pope Leo celebrated Mass at the Catholic shrine of Lourdes before a crowd of about 150,000. He spoke about respect for life, including the lives of sick and frail people, and said that physical disabilities and private grief should not prevent people from being welcomed and respected. His remarks also criticized the idea of treating death as normal and suggested that legality does not necessarily make an action moral. The comments were interpreted as a veiled criticism of euthanasia and abortion, and may have referred in particular to France’s assisted-dying law, which had taken effect the previous month.
The pope’s visit also addressed the Catholic Church’s record of sexual abuse and institutional failures. A 2021 French report estimated that about 330,000 children were abused by Catholic priests and lay leaders in France between 1950 and 2020. Leo was scheduled to meet seven adult survivors. Although he did not refer directly to abuse during the Lourdes Mass, he called on clergy to admit mistakes and said the Church must humbly confront its “deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors” in order to heal them.
Earlier, meeting French bishops, Leo praised their response to abuse committed by clergy or in church settings. He thanked them for pursuing truth, justice, forgiveness and reparations, and for their commitment to prevention and protection. He urged them to remain vigilant and continue their work. Survivors and advocates nevertheless cautioned that change within the Church is slow. Michele Le Reun-Gaigne, a co-leader of a French survivors’ association, said progress would not happen overnight. The article places the visit amid the Church’s decades-long effort to reckon with widespread abuse and cover-ups.
Entities: Pope Leo, France, Lourdes, Catholic Church, Vatican • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
During his visit to France, Pope Leo XIV urged the Catholic Church to acknowledge its failings and continue confronting sexual abuse. Speaking at an open-air Mass in Lourdes on Sunday, he said the Church must take responsibility for wrongdoing within its ranks and approach its “deep wounds” with humility. The Mass drew around 150,000 people, following a large gathering in Paris the previous day.
Earlier on Sunday, Leo met privately with French bishops. He praised their efforts to address abuse against minors, including measures focused on listening to survivors, seeking truth and justice, providing reparation, and preventing further abuse. He called on the bishops to maintain vigilance, while also supporting clergy members.
The Pope was also scheduled to meet seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse, including one survivor who was abused as an adult. Some survivors criticized the meeting’s selection process, arguing in an open letter that Church officials should not choose participants and that the Church must not act as both judge and party. A spokesperson for the French bishops’ conference said two participants were proposed by survivor organizations and explained that a small group was chosen to allow a more personal discussion.
The article places the visit in the context of the French Catholic Church’s abuse legacy. An independent investigation published in 2021 estimated that about 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests, other Church workers, and people connected to Catholic institutions. It identified around 3,000 alleged perpetrators among priests and Church workers. Although the report’s methods and conclusions were criticized, French bishops established an independent compensation system, which has recommended more than €20 million in payments to survivors.
Entities: Pope Leo XIV, French Catholic Church, Lourdes, Paris, French bishops • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
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.
Entities: Pope Leo XIV, Lourdes, France, Metz, Saint Bernadette auditorium • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
The article reports on Pope Leo XIV’s ongoing four-day visit to France, the first official papal visit to the country in nearly two decades. After spending two days in Paris, where he attracted hundreds of thousands of worshippers, the Pope is continuing to Lourdes, a pilgrimage town in southwestern France. A central event there is a planned private meeting with survivors of clergy sexual abuse, bringing the Church’s abuse crisis into focus during the visit.
To provide reaction and perspective, France 24 introduces Marc Artzrouni, identified as the French representative of the global coalition Ending Clergy Abuse. However, the supplied article text does not include his comments or any further details about the meeting, the survivors, or the coalition’s response. It therefore establishes the significance of the planned encounter without explaining what was discussed or what actions may follow.
The report situates the meeting within a broader papal trip that has drawn large crowds in Paris. Its emphasis is on the contrast between the public scale of the visit and the private encounter with abuse survivors in Lourdes. Overall, the article presents the meeting as a notable part of the Pope’s French itinerary and signals the continuing importance of clergy sexual abuse as an issue confronting the Church. The available text is brief and does not provide additional background, survivor testimony, or official Church statements.
Entities: Pope Leo XIV, Marc Artzrouni, France 24, Ending Clergy Abuse, France • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
Pope Leo XIV continued his visit to France with a stop in Lourdes, a major Catholic pilgrimage site in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The France 24 video report says that the Pope celebrated Mass there before an audience of around 150,000 people. The event followed earlier public appearances during his visit to France, though this report focuses specifically on the Lourdes stop rather than detailing the wider itinerary.
To provide context and reaction, the report features Hendro Munstermann, identified as a Vatican correspondent for the Dutch newspaper Nederland Dagblad. He joins France 24 from Lourdes to share his impressions and discuss the Pope’s visit. The supplied article text does not include Munstermann’s comments or further details about the Mass, the Pope’s remarks, or the crowd; those appear to be part of the video itself.
The item is a short video-news introduction rather than a full written account. Its central points are the continuation of Pope Leo XIV’s French visit, the location’s significance as a Catholic pilgrimage destination, and the reported attendance at the Mass. It gives no additional information about the event’s proceedings or the themes addressed by the Pope. The report is dated September 27, 2026, and credits FRANCE 24 as the video producer.
Entities: Pope Leo XIV, Hendro Munstermann, Lourdes, France, Pyrenees • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
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.
Entities: Pope Leo, Domitille Bardoul, France, Lourdes, Paris • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
27-09-2026
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.
Entities: Pope Leo XIV, Catholic Church, Lourdes, France, French clergy abuse survivors, French bishops • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
