Pope Leo XIV has urged the Catholic Church to confront its past failures and heal the wounds caused by abuse, as he prepared to meet survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy during his visit to France.
Speaking to an estimated 150,000 people at Lourdes on Sunday, the pope said the Church must acknowledge its “deep wounds” and “painful errors”. Earlier, in a private meeting with French bishops, he directly referred to the abuse of minors by clergy and urged them to maintain vigilance and strengthen safeguarding measures.
Leo was scheduled to meet seven French survivors privately at the Catholic shrine, including a former pupil of Notre-Dame de Bétharram, a school at the centre of longstanding abuse allegations.
A landmark 2021 investigation estimated that about 330,000 children had been sexually abused by Catholic clergy and other Church figures in France over seven decades. The findings prompted widespread scrutiny of how the Church handled allegations and protected children.
Some survivor groups have expressed scepticism about the meeting, arguing that greater institutional reforms and concrete action are needed beyond expressions of regret.
Leo’s four-day visit to France is his first papal visit to the country in 18 years and includes stops in Paris, Lourdes and Metz.
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