Pope Leo XIV addressed a gathering of approximately 150,000 people near the shrine at Lourdes on Sunday, calling for the Catholic Church to confront what he described as “deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors” within the institution. The pontiff did not explicitly reference child sexual abuse cases in France, though he spoke of the need for the church to place itself “under the Lord’s purifying gaze” in order to heal.
Following his public address, the pope met privately with seven survivors of child sexual abuse perpetrated by French clergy. According to the survivors who attended a subsequent press conference, the pope listened to their accounts, demonstrated knowledge of their individual cases, and acknowledged that further action was necessary to address the abuse crisis. One survivor described the meeting as extraordinary.
During his homily, Leo also addressed the topic of medically assisted dying, which he characterized as immoral “false compassion,” articulating the Catholic Church’s teaching on the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. France had adopted legislation permitting aid in dying for incurably ill adults the previous month, making it one of several countries with comparable laws.
The papal visit occurred amid ongoing attention to abuse allegations within the Church. The bishop of Lourdes had ordered mosaics created by artist Marko Rupnik to be covered, as Rupnik faces trial in Vatican court on accusations of psychological, spiritual and sexual abuse brought by more than two dozen women. Additionally, a group of survivors published an open letter expressing concern that the visit would produce limited substantive change, noting that the seven survivors meeting with the pope had been selected by church authorities rather than by survivors’ organizations.
The visit represented the first official papal journey to France in 18 years and drew large crowds to the pilgrimage site, which typically attracts approximately 3 million visitors annually.
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