Pope Decries ‘Scourge’ of Sexual Abuse During France Visit
Pope Leo Calls for Accountability and Care at Lourdes
Kabarsaji.com – Pope Leo brought a message of humility, protection and respect for vulnerable people to Lourdes on Sunday, as roughly 150,000 worshippers gathered for Mass at one of Catholicism’s most important pilgrimage sites.
The visit formed part of the third day of the pope’s four-day trip to France. Lourdes, close to the Spanish border, is revered by many Catholics as a destination associated with healing and prayer. In recent years, it has also become a place where survivors of sexual abuse have sought comfort and recovery from lasting trauma.
During the Mass, Leo spoke about the value of every human life, particularly the lives of people who are ill, elderly or physically frail. His remarks were widely understood as a defense of life amid debates surrounding euthanasia and abortion.
Your crutches, your wheelchairs and your hidden tears are not obstacles; instead, they are the very place where you are fully respected and welcomed.
The pope told the crowd that Lourdes should be seen as a place where human dignity is affirmed without qualification.
Lourdes is blessed as a place for professing the beauty and sanctity of life, for life is welcomed here as a precious gift from God.
Survivors and a Church Still Reckoning
Later on Sunday, Leo was scheduled to meet seven adult survivors of sexual abuse. The encounter came amid the Vatican’s long-running effort to address abuse committed against children by clergy members and others working in Church settings, as well as failures by senior figures to respond openly to allegations in many countries.
The scale of the crisis in France has been stark. A 2021 report concluded that about 330,000 children were abused by Catholic priests and lay leaders in the country from 1950 through 2020. The finding intensified public pressure on Church leaders to acknowledge institutional failures, provide redress and make safeguarding a permanent priority.
Although the pope did not explicitly focus on abuse during his Lourdes homily, he urged members of the clergy to confront wrongdoing honestly. He said spiritual renewal could not take place without admitting past failures and recognizing the harm caused within the Church.
The admission of our mistakes is indispensable for our spiritual growth.
In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within (the Church), we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord's purifying gaze.
For survivors, words of contrition carry particular weight when they are accompanied by sustained action. The Church’s response to abuse has become a defining test of credibility for many Catholics, especially in communities where victims felt ignored, disbelieved or left without meaningful support for years.
Michele Le Reun-Gaigne, a co-leader of a French association for survivors, expressed caution about expectations that the papal visit alone could produce rapid change.
Things are moving very slowly.
It isn't going to happen overnight.
Call for Continued Vigilance
Earlier in the day, Leo met French bishops and addressed the abuse crisis more directly. He commended what he described as their courage in confronting “the painful scourge of abuse committed against minors by members of the clergy or in an ecclesial context.”
The pope also recognized efforts centered on hearing victims, establishing the facts, pursuing justice, seeking forgiveness and offering reparations. He praised the bishops’ commitment to prevention and the protection of children and vulnerable people.
You must continue along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance.
The appeal underlined that safeguarding is not a one-time response to scandal but an ongoing responsibility. Prevention requires attentive leadership, clear reporting procedures and an institutional culture in which concerns can be raised without fear. For survivors, meaningful progress is measured not only by apologies but by whether future harm is prevented and past harm is addressed with fairness.
Lourdes gave the pope a setting deeply connected to human suffering, hope and healing. His visit placed those themes alongside the unresolved pain of abuse survivors, reinforcing the challenge facing the Church in France and elsewhere: to ensure that compassion is matched by accountability, and that promises of protection become lasting practice.
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