Pope Leo XIV met seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse in Lourdes, France, on September 27, expressing his closeness to those who continue to suffer from the “wounds of abuse.”
According to Vatican News, the group included four men and three women who experienced abuse in parishes, boarding schools, religious congregations or ecclesial movements. The two-hour meeting took place at the bishop’s residence near the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The survivors had first met on September 14 to share their experiences, expectations and requests before meeting the Pope. Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens, president of the Council for the Prevention of and Fight against Paedophilia of the French Bishops’ Conference, was also present.
According to the Holy See Press Office, Pope Leo met each survivor privately, listening to their stories of pain and suffering, including cases in which abuse was accompanied by the silence or complicity of those who could have helped them. He also listened to their proposals to prevent such abuse from happening again.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Pope thanked them for their painful testimony and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that the evil they experienced would not happen to others, Vatican News reported.
Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the survivors and, through them, to all those who have suffered and continue to suffer from abuse. He expressed hope that they could work together to help make the Church increasingly a place where people of every age can find comfort and healing.
The identities of five of the seven participants are known. They included Jean-Marie Delbos, Jérôme Guillement, Véronique Garnier, Olivier Mardi and Bertrand Virieux. Two others chose to remain anonymous, including a person abused by Abbé Pierre.
The seven survivors were selected by the French Bishops’ Conference and the Conference of Men and Women Religious of France after consultations with around 40 groups and individuals. The limited number of participants was intended to allow for a substantive exchange with the Pope.
Earlier that day, Pope Leo addressed the French bishops and referred to the “painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or within the Church.” He called on them to maintain “the utmost vigilance.”
The Pope also acknowledged the measures taken by the French Bishops’ Conference in response to abuse, including efforts toward listening, truth, justice, forgiveness, reparation, prevention and protection.
He was referring to reforms and compensation measures developed following the 2021 CIASE Report, which found that more than 210,000 minors had been victims of abuse by priests and religious in France between 1950 and 2020.
“I know that some moments have been very difficult for your Conference,” Pope Leo said, urging the bishops to continue along the path already taken while maintaining the utmost vigilance.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
