Pope Leo Calls for Healing of 'Deep Wounds' Ahead of Meeting Abuse Survivors in France
The pope urged the Catholic Church to reckon with its 'painful errors' during a stop in Lourdes, ahead of a planned meeting with survivors of child sexual abuse.
Written by EGazette’s AI. The facts are drawn from cited sources; the analysis is the AI’s own.
Pope Leo XIV called on the Catholic Church to heal what he described as "deep wounds" and "painful errors," speaking to a large crowd near the Catholic shrine of Lourdes during a four-day visit to France.
The remarks came ahead of a planned meeting with survivors of child sexual abuse within the church. According to reporting on the visit, abuse scandals in France are believed to have affected at least 330,000 children over seven decades, though the pope's address to the crowd did not directly reference those scandals by name.
The visit forms part of a broader four-day tour of France, during which the pope has addressed both public gatherings and, separately, is expected to engage more directly with survivors and church accountability efforts.
The Catholic Church in France and globally has faced sustained scrutiny in recent years over its handling of past abuse cases, including calls for greater transparency and support for survivors.
Sources
- Pope Leo urges healing of ‘deep wounds’ before meeting child sexual abuse survivors in France — The Guardian — World
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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