Pope pledges action on clergy child abuse in meeting with French survivors

Head of the Roman Catholic Church holds ’emotional’ two-hour meeting with seven abuse victims in French town of Lourdes.Published On 27 Sep 202627 Sep 2026Pope Leo XIV has thanked a group of survivors of clerical abuse “for their painful testimony” and “reaffirmed his commitment” to end harm by Catholic priests at a meeting in southwestern France, the Vatican said.The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is on a four-day visit to France.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Photos: Pope Leo draws hundreds of thousands for open-air Mass in Parislist 2 of 3What has Pope Leo warned about AI – and why that’s significantlist 3 of 3French Parliament approves landmark assisted-dying billend of listOn Sunday, the pontiff visited the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, where he privately met seven survivors of child abuse, now adults, and promised to further efforts to reform the Church in the wake of the global sexual abuse scandal.The group said in a later news conference that the meeting was emotional and touching.“When he saw the state I was in, he took me into his arms,” survivor Jean-Marie Delbos said, adding, “It was an extraordinary moment.”The 80-year-old was abused as a pup...