Pope Leo urges the Catholic Church to combat sexual abuse

Pope Leo XIV called on French bishops to acknowledge the Church’s mistakes and continue the fight against sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy or in ecclesial settings. The Pontiff made the statements during a private meeting with French bishops held at the Vatican on Sunday.

“The Church must have the courage to be the first to undergo this conversion,” Pope Leo XIV said. He stressed that healing the wounds caused by acts of infidelity and misconduct requires accountability, humility and recognition of one’s own mistakes, which he described as essential to spiritual progress.

The Pope praised the measures adopted by French bishops in recent years to combat abuse and protect minors. He urged them to remain vigilant, pursue truth, justice, forgiveness and compensation for victims, and strengthen prevention efforts.

At the same time, the Pontiff emphasized the need to support the clergy. The Pope was also due to meet with seven survivors of sexual abuse, including a person abused as an adult. However, some survivors criticized the meeting, questioning how participants had been selected.