Pope Leo XIV met with seven adult survivors of child abuse by members of the French clergy in Lourdes, France, on September 27, 2026, reaffirming his commitment to end harm and reform the Church. The Vatican stated that the pontiff thanked the survivors for their "painful testimony" during the two-hour private meeting.

The meeting occurred during the Pope's four-day visit to France, a trip that has drawn significant attention amid ongoing global discussions about the Catholic Church's handling of sexual abuse scandals. The Pope, who is 80 years old, is the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.

Survivors described the meeting as emotional and touching. Jean-Marie Delbos, who was abused as a pupil at a boarding school where staff have faced accusations of abuse, stated that the Pope "took me into his arms" when he saw his distress, calling it an "extraordinary moment."

Jerome Guillement, another survivor who has publicly shared his experiences of abuse by a priest, noted that Pope Leo seemed to understand the "systemic" nature of the abuse within the institution. While the Pope believes individual perpetrators are at fault, he also acknowledged the "systemic dimension within the institution" that allows such abuse to continue.

Guillement also conveyed the Pope's perspective that the Church "has done a great deal in France, but he also believes that the Church in France still has a tremendous amount left to do." Survivors expressed hope that the Pope's words would be followed by concrete actions.

The Pope's visit and his meeting with survivors come in the wake of a landmark 2021 independent inquiry in France. This inquiry revealed that an estimated 330,000 French children had suffered abuse by Catholic clergy and lay leaders over a period of seven decades, highlighting the scale of the crisis.

Earlier on Sunday, during a Mass attended by an estimated 150,000 people in a field near the Lourdes shrine, Pope Leo addressed the need for the Church to confront its past. However, survivor Veronique Garnier found the Mass, where the Pope referred to abuse without issuing a direct apology, to be troubling.

Local officials and Church leaders have expressed hope that the Pope's visit and his engagement with survivors will contribute to repairing the Church's reputation and foster further progress in addressing the long-standing issue of clerical abuse in France.