Pope Leo has renewed his pledge to tackle abuse within the Catholic Church after privately meeting survivors of clergy abuse during his visit to France.
The pontiff met seven survivors in Lourdes on Sunday, hearing their experiences and proposals to strengthen safeguarding measures across the Church.
According to the Vatican, the meeting lasted around two hours, with Pope Leo speaking individually with each survivor.
The Vatican said the pope thanked the survivors for sharing their experiences and pledged to work to prevent similar abuse from happening again.
Several participants described the meeting as emotional and said they felt the pope had listened carefully to them.
Jérôme Guillement, one of the survivors who attended, said Pope Leo appeared to recognise that although progress had been made in France, much more work remained.
Véronique Garnier, another survivor, said she was encouraged by the private meeting but stressed that survivors wanted concrete action rather than promises.
She said she hoped the Church would listen to victims “at a deep level” and follow its words with meaningful change.
Earlier on Sunday, Pope Leo addressed an estimated 150,000 people at a Mass near the Catholic shrine in Lourdes.
He said the Church needed the courage to confront the harm caused within its own ranks and acknowledge past failures.
The pope said the Church must seek to heal what he described as “deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors”.
He raised the issue again later during a closed-door meeting with French bishops.
According to a text provided by the Vatican, Leo praised measures already taken by bishops in France while urging them to remain vigilant and strengthen safeguarding efforts.
The pope’s remarks come five years after a major independent report into abuse within the French Catholic Church.
Published in 2021, the investigation estimated that around 330,000 children had been abused by Catholic clergy and lay members over seven decades.
The findings shocked France and intensified calls for accountability, compensation and stronger protections for children.
Church leaders in France hope the pope’s visit will help rebuild trust following years of revelations about abuse.
Pope Leo’s visit to Lourdes also came amid continued controversy over the work of Rev. Marko Rupnik, a prominent religious artist accused of sexual abuse by more than 20 women.
Rupnik is not known to have publicly responded to the allegations.
Several of his alleged victims wrote an open letter to the pope last week, criticising an ongoing Vatican process involving the cleric.
Large mosaics created by Rupnik at the Lourdes shrine were covered with muted yellow tarpaulins during the papal visit.
During his visit, Pope Leo also reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to assisted dying.
Speaking to volunteers who care for sick pilgrims in Lourdes, he said healthcare should focus on caring for people who are suffering rather than ending their lives.
The comments followed remarks made by the pope earlier in his trip, after France introduced a legal right to assisted dying for some people with incurable illnesses.
Pope Leo is on a four-day visit to France, where he has drawn large crowds at public events in Paris and Lourdes.
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