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Pope Leo Meets French Abuse Survivors in Lourdes

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 6:13 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Pope Meets Survivors

Pope Leo met seven French clergy-abuse survivors in Lourdes for a two-hour session.
He thanked them for their testimony and pledged to prevent future abuse.
Survivor groups criticized the selection process, saying the Church should not act as judge.
Bishop Gérard Le Stang attended as head of the bishops’ abuse-prevention council.
A 2021 report estimated 330,000 French children were abused by clergy and lay workers.

Summary

Pope Leads Mass

Pope Leo presides over the first papal liturgy at Notre-Dame since the 2019 fire.
Over 800,000 faithful gather in Paris for his open-air Mass, the largest crowd since 2019.
A relic of Christ’s tunic is displayed during a youth vigil at the Stade de France.
The visit coincides with France’s presidential election and draws Marine Le Pen and Edouard Philippe.

History

Historical Context

After the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a child-protection charter in 2002 and Pope Francis convened a global summit of about 190 bishops in February 2019, the Church has faced mounting pressure for transparency. The recent papal meeting with French abuse survivors in Lourdes and an open-air Mass at Notre-Dame echo those earlier calls for concrete safeguards and public accountability.

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Pope Meets Survivors

Pope Leo met seven French clergy-abuse survivors in Lourdes for a two-hour session.
He thanked them for their testimony and pledged to prevent future abuse.
Survivor groups criticized the selection process, saying the Church should not act as judge.
Bishop Gérard Le Stang attended as head of the bishops’ abuse-prevention council.
A 2021 report estimated 330,000 French children were abused by clergy and lay workers.

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