Afghanistan, Sept. 28 -- Pope Leo XIV met privately with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse during his official visit to France, reaffirming the Vatican's commitment to preventing further abuse within the Catholic Church and supporting victims of decades-long misconduct.
The Vatican said the pope listened individually to each survivor's testimony during a two-hour meeting in Lourdes before thanking them for sharing their experiences and promising to do "everything possible" to ensure similar abuse is not repeated. The meeting was one of the most closely watched events of the pope's four-day visit to France.
The seven survivors, four men and three women were abused in Catholic parishes, boarding schools, religious congregations, or c...