Pope Leo addressed French bishops during a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Holy Lady of Lourdes, emphasizing the need to eliminate sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. He urged the bishops to maintain vigilance in addressing this issue during his four-day visit to France. A 2021 inquiry revealed that approximately 330,000 individuals were abused as children by clergy or lay members of the Church in France over the past 70 years.
The Pope celebrated Mass in front of thousands of worshippers in Lourdes and later met with seven survivors of abuse, expressing gratitude for their testimonies and reaffirming his commitment to preventing future harm. Survivor Jean-Marie Delbos described the meeting as extraordinary, noting that the Pope was attentive to their cases.
Earlier, an estimated 700,000 people gathered in Paris to hear the Pope speak, where he encouraged Catholics to share their faith with others. He also addressed the decline in regular worshippers in France, which has decreased from 35% of the population in 1960 to less than 5% today, alongside a significant reduction in the number of priests.
The Pope's visit follows a history of widespread sexual abuse cases within the Catholic Church, which gained significant media attention starting in the 1980s. Previous efforts by Pope Francis to address these issues included holding a summit on paedophilia and changing Church laws to criminalize sexual abuse. This visit marks Pope Leo's first official trip to France since becoming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025.