Pope Leo XIV Meets Abuse Victims Listening to their Stories and Reaffirms Commitment to Prevent the Evil

 Pope Leo XIV met in Lourdes, France, with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse, expressing his deep closeness to all who carry the “wound of abuse.”

(Image - Vatican News Pope Leo XIV pauses before a plaque in Lourdes honoring abuse victims)

On Sunday evening, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the bishop’s residence near the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Pope spent two hours with four men and three women. The victims had experienced abuse across various settings, including parishes, boarding schools, religious congregations, and ecclesial movements. They first gathered on September 14 to connect and unify their shared experiences, requests, and expectations ahead of the papal meeting. Also in attendance was Bishop Gérard Le Stang of Amiens, who serves as president of the French Bishops’ Conference’s Council for the Prevention of and Fight against Paedophilia.

Details of the Encounter According to the Holy See Press Office, Pope Leo spent private, individual time listening to each survivor's story, pain, and suggestions to ensure future prevention.

“The Pope met each of them individually and in private, listening to their stories, to the pain and suffering they had endured—sometimes, sadly, with the complicity or silence of those who could have helped them—and to their proposals to ensure that this does not happen again. He spent a few moments in prayer with some of them,” read a statement released on Sunday evening.

Shortly after 7 p.m., the Press Office noted that “the Pope gathered with everyone in a room of the bishop’s residence and addressed a few words to them, thanking them for their painful testimony and reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that the evil they had experienced would not happen to others.”

In his closing words, Pope Leo offered his closeness to all “to those who have suffered and still suffer from the wounds of the abuse they endured.”

Furthermore, “expressing his hope that they could work together so that the community of the faithful might increasingly become a place where men and women of every age can find comfort and healing, the Pope asked those present to pray for him and imparted his blessing upon them.”

The Attendees The identities of five participants were made public:

• Jean-Marie Delbos (age 80): Key witness regarding abuse at the Notre-Dame de Bétharram boarding school.

• Jérôme Guillement: Abused as a teenager by a parish priest; currently coordinator for the Qualité de la relation éducative mission.

• Véronique Garnier: Member of the Foi & Résilience collective and author documenting severe, repeated abuse by her community's parish priest in Nancy.

• Olivier Mardi: Co-founder of Voix Libérées de Touraine, who was abused alongside his brother Frédéric by Father Bernard Tartu in the Petits Chanteurs de Touraine choir.

• Bertrand Virieux: Cardiologist and founder of La Parole Libérée, abused as a boy by Father Bernard Preynat (who died in 2024 following his conviction for abusing young Scouts between 1971 and 1991).

The remaining two survivors opted for anonymity, including one individual abused by Abbé Pierre.

Organization and Selection The attendees were selected by the French Bishops’ Conference and the Conference of Men and Women Religious of France after outreach to roughly 40 individuals and survivor groups. While the limited group size generated criticism from some organizations, organizers and Pope Leo XIV emphasized that a small gathering was necessary to allow for a meaningful, substantive dialogue. The attendees also delivered letters to the Pope from other survivor groups.

Address to the French Bishops Earlier that morning, addressing French bishops prior to Mass, Pope Leo directly cited the “painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or within the Church.”

He urged the bishops to maintain “the utmost vigilance” while acknowledging the “utmost determination” behind their recent reforms—referencing measures rooted in the landmark 2021 CIASE Report, which revealed that over 210,000 minors suffered abuse by nearly 3,000 priests and religious between 1950 and 2020.

Acknowledging the institutional struggle, the Pope noted, “I know that some moments have been very difficult for your Conference,” while reiterating the imperative to “continue along the path already taken, maintaining the utmost vigilance.”

Source - https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-09/pope-leo-xiv-lourdes-france-encounter-abuse-victims.html