Pope Leo XIV Visits Lourdes and Meets Sexual Abuse Victims in France

Published 1w ago · Updated 4h ago

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Pope Leo XIV engaged with abuse survivors and delivered ethical messages at Lourdes during his multi-day tour of France.

What's new · 2d agoPope Leo XIV traveled from Paris to Lourdes to celebrate Mass at the shrine and meet privately with survivors of clerical sexual abuse.

Pope Leo XIV continued his official tour of France by visiting the Catholic sanctuary site at Lourdes, where he prayed at the Grotto of Massabielle and led an open-air ceremony. The pontiff used the pilgrimage to speak against euthanasia while arranging private discussions with seven survivors of church-related sexual abuse. The journey marks the first official papal state visit to France in nearly two decades, following large gatherings in Paris earlier in the week.

Pope Leo XIV visited Lourdes as part of the first official papal state trip to France in 18 years.
The pontiff scheduled private meetings with seven survivors of historical clerical sexual abuse.
A past investigation in France revealed that church personnel abused an estimated 330,000 minors over a period of 70 years.
During public addresses on the tour, Pope Leo spoke out against assisted dying and called for greater protection for migrants.

Written from 16 of 18 outlets — 2 have since joined this story.

By the numbers

7clerical abuse survivors meeting Pope Leo XIV

330,000minors abused by French Catholic clergy over seven decades

800,000worshippers attending open-air Mass in Paris

Timeline

Sep 26Pope Leo XIV celebrates an open-air Mass in central Paris before a crowd of hundreds of thousands.
Sep 27Pope Leo XIV arrives in Lourdes to pray at the Grotto of Massabielle and speak with clerical abuse victims.

Why it matters

The visit is Pope Leo XIV's first official state visit to France, a nation with deep Catholic heritage that operates under a strictly enforced constitutional model of secularism. Church leaders in France have faced severe scrutiny in recent years following extensive disclosures regarding historical systemic sexual abuse.

What outlets agree on

Outlets agree that Pope Leo XIV traveled to Lourdes on the third day of his French tour, where he held an open-air Mass and met privately with survivors of clerical abuse.

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