Pope Leo XIV Urges Church to Confront Its Failings Ahead of Meeting With Abuse Survivors
The pope addressed an open-air Mass in Lourdes on the third day of his four-day trip to France, ahead of a private meeting with victims of clergy 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 acknowledge its own failings and address “deep wounds” during an open-air Mass in Lourdes on Sunday, according to France 24.
The Mass, held in the French pilgrimage town, formed part of the pope's four-day trip to France. Following the service, he was expected to meet privately in the afternoon with victims of clergy sexual abuse, the report said.
The pope's remarks calling for the Church to confront its shortcomings come as the institution continues to grapple with the fallout from decades of clergy sexual abuse cases across multiple countries, including France.
France 24 reported that it was covering the visit through a live blog, with further developments expected as the day continued, including details of the planned meeting with abuse survivors.
The Lourdes stop is one part of a broader itinerary during the pope's visit to France, which has included large public gatherings and engagements addressing both the pastoral and institutional dimensions of the Church's presence in the country.
No further specifics on the identities of the survivors set to meet with the pope, or the format of that meeting, were included in the available report.
Sources
- Live: Pope Leo XIV urges Church to face failings before meeting French abuse survivors — France 24 — English
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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