Pope Leo urges healing of ‘deep wounds’ before meeting child sexual abuse survivors in France
Summary
Pope Leo XIV, during his visit to France, urged the Catholic Church to address and heal the serious problems it has faced, including sexual abuse by clergy. He plans to meet privately with survivors of child sexual abuse and has spoken about the need for respect and care for victims.Key Facts
- Pope Leo XIV is visiting France for four days, marking the first papal visit there in 18 years.
- He called for healing "deep wounds" and "painful errors" in the Church without directly naming abuse scandals.
- The pope will meet privately with seven survivors of child sexual abuse by French clergy.
- At least 330,000 children were sexually abused by Catholic clergy or representatives in France over 70 years, according to a 2021 report.
- French Catholic bishops have begun paying compensation to victims and have pledged to continue fighting abuse.
- The pope visited Lourdes, a major Catholic pilgrimage site, where mosaics by a priest accused of abuse were covered up.
- The priest Marko Rupnik is on trial at the Vatican for abuse allegations from over two dozen women.
- Pope Leo stressed the need to treat abuse victims with respect and recognize their lifelong wounds.
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