'Scourge' of abuse must be rooted out, says Pope, during Lourdes visit
Pope Leo XIV urged French bishops to maintain strict vigilance against the 'scourge' of sexual abuse during a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. This address occurred on the third day of his four-day official visit to France, which included a Mass attended by thousands and a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. The visit highlights the Church's ongoing efforts to address past misconduct while engaging with a French Catholic community that has seen a significant decline in regular attendance but a recent rise in adult baptisms.
- ▪Pope Leo XIV called on French bishops to root out sexual abuse and maintain the greatest vigilance during a closed-door meeting in Lourdes.
- ▪A 2021 inquiry revealed that approximately 330,000 children were abused by clergy or lay members of the Church in France over a 70-year period.
- ▪The Pope's visit to France included a Mass in Lourdes and a previous gathering of 700,000 people in Paris, marking his first official trip to the country since becoming Pope in May 2025.
- ▪Regular Catholic worship in France has dropped from 35% of the population in 1960 to less than 5% today, although adult baptisms have more than doubled in the last five years.
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| Publication time | Sun, 27 Sep 2026 11:38:03 GMT |
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'Scourge' of abuse must be rooted out, says Pope, during Lourdes visitImage source, ReutersImage caption, Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered to hear the Pope speak during a four-day visit to FranceBySean SeddonPublished12 minutes agoPope Leo has called on French bishops to root out the "scourge" of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church, telling them to "maintain the greatest vigilance", ahead of a meeting with abuse survivors.The Pope delivered the message to bishops during a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Holy Lady of Lourdes, a holy site in southern France, on the third day of his four-day official visit to France.A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as children in France over 70 years.The Pope said Mass in…
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