Pope Leo XIV has called on the Catholic Church to heal its "deep wounds" and acknowledge its "painful errors" during his four-day visit to France. This appeal comes ahead of a meeting with survivors of child sexual abuse, as he addressed a crowd of approximately 150,000 people near the Catholic shrine of Lourdes on Sunday.
Call for Reckoning
In his address, Pope Leo emphasized the need for the Church to confront its past, stating, "In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within [the church], we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze." This statement did not directly reference the sexual abuse scandals in France, which have affected at least 330,000 children over the past seven decades.
Meeting with Survivors
Later on Sunday, Pope Leo is scheduled to meet privately with seven survivors of child sexual abuse by French clergy. This meeting follows an open-air morning mass at Lourdes, a significant pilgrimage site known for its healing properties. Earlier in the day, he met with French bishops, urging them to continue their efforts against the "painful scourge of abuse committed against minors by members of the clergy."
Acknowledging the Past
Upon arriving in Lourdes in a white popemobile, Pope Leo was reminded of the Church's troubled legacy, passing by covered mosaics created by Marko Rupnik, a Jesuit priest accused of abusing over two dozen women. The bishop of Lourdes ordered these works to be concealed, recognizing that survivors should not be confronted with reminders of their trauma.
