Pope Leo has urged French bishops to maintain vigilance in addressing the issue of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic church. During a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Holy Lady of Lourdes, the Pope emphasized the importance of persevering in their efforts to tackle this issue. The meeting took place on the third day of his four-day official visit to France.
A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as children in France over 70 years. The Pope's remarks were released to reporters after the closed-door meeting with senior church leaders. He also met with seven survivors of abuse by the French clergy, thanking them for their testimonies and reaffirming his commitment to preventing similar harm in the future.
The Pope's visit to Lourdes came after an estimated 700,000 people gathered at the Place de la Concorde in Paris to hear him speak. Huge crowds cheered and waved as he rode down the Champs-Élysées Avenue in an open-topped popemobile. On Friday, the Pope met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss various issues.
During a Mass in Paris, the Pope told worshippers that Catholics should not keep their faith to themselves but "let it overflow so that those you meet may be refreshed". He also addressed young people, describing them as "today's Church" and praising their enthusiasm, energy, and commitment to Christian communities.
The number of regular worshippers in France has declined significantly over the years, from 35% of the population in 1960 to less than 5% today. The number of priests has also decreased, from 25,000 in 1990 to fewer than 9,000. However, there have been signs of a growing interest in religious tradition, with adult baptisms more than doubling in five years to hit 10,000 in 2025.
Sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church has been a longstanding issue, dating back to the 1950s. The problem gained significant media attention in the 1980s in the US and Canada, before similar stories emerged worldwide, including in Ireland and the UK. A Church-commissioned report in 2004 found that over 4,000 US Roman Catholic priests had faced sexual abuse allegations in the last 50 years.
Pope Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, attempted to address the issue by holding a summit on paedophilia in the Church and changing its laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse. The Pope's visit to Lourdes marked his first official trip to France since becoming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025.
Key points
- Pope Leo urges French bishops to root out the "scourge" of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church.
- The Pope meets with survivors of abuse and reaffirms his commitment to preventing similar harm in the future.
- The number of regular worshippers in France has declined significantly over the years, while adult baptisms have seen a recent increase.
