In Lourdes, Pope Leo XIV Awaited by Victims of Sexual Abuse in the Church
After two days in Paris marked by record attendance, the pope continues his visit to France on Sunday in Lourdes, where a meeting with abuse victims is scheduled.
Written by EGazette’s AI. The facts are drawn from cited sources; the analysis is the AI’s own.
Pope Leo XIV continues his visit to France on Sunday by traveling to Lourdes, the final stop of a trip that has taken him to Paris for two days, where he drew more than a million people.
In the Marian city in the Hautes-Pyrénées, the pontiff is to celebrate another Mass before the assembled pilgrims, followed by a particularly anticipated meeting with victims of sexual abuse committed within the Catholic Church.
This meeting takes place in a context where the Catholic institution remains confronted, in France as elsewhere, with the consequences of revelations about sexual abuse committed by clergy members over decades. The pope's visit to Lourdes is thus scrutinized as an indicator of how Leo XIV intends to address this sensitive issue, partly inherited from his predecessors.
Lourdes, one of the world's major Catholic pilgrimage sites, welcomes millions of visitors each year from numerous countries. The choice of this stopover, following the popular reception accorded to the pope in Paris, underscores the importance the Vatican places on this visit to France.
No additional details on the precise content of the planned exchanges with victims have been communicated so far. The visit is to continue over the course of Sunday, before the end of the pope's stay in France.
Sources
- À Lourdes, le pape Léon XIV face à la question des violences sexuelles dans l’Église catholique — France 24 — Français
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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