Pope Leo has called on French bishops to address the issue of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church during a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Holy Lady of Lourdes in southern France. This meeting occurred on the third day of his four-day official visit to France, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered to hear him speak.
A 2021 inquiry revealed that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused approximately 330,000 individuals as children in France over the past 70 years. During the meeting, the Pope urged bishops to maintain vigilance in their efforts to combat this issue. He stated, "You have faced with determination the painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or within an ecclesial context. It is important to persevere along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance."
Following the meeting, the Pope met with seven survivors of abuse, thanking them for their testimonies and reaffirming his commitment to preventing future harm. Survivor Jean-Marie Delbos described the encounter as extraordinary, noting that the Pope listened to their cases.
Earlier in the visit, an estimated 700,000 people attended a gathering in Paris to hear the Pope speak. He also met with French President Emmanuel Macron and addressed the decline in regular worshippers in France, which has decreased from 35% of the population in 1960 to less than 5% today. The number of priests has also fallen significantly, from 25,000 in 1990 to fewer than 9,000.
Despite this decline, there have been indications of a renewed interest in religious tradition, with adult baptisms more than doubling in five years, projected to reach 10,000 by 2025. The Pope emphasized the importance of sharing faith with others during his Mass in Paris, encouraging Catholics to let their faith overflow.
The issue of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has been a longstanding problem, with significant media attention beginning in the 1980s in the US and Canada, and similar cases emerging globally. A Church-commissioned report in 2004 indicated that over 4,000 US Roman Catholic priests faced sexual abuse allegations involving more than 10,000 children.
Pope Leo's visit marks his first official trip to France since becoming the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in May 2025. France has a complex relationship with the Catholic Church, characterized by its secular political history and deep Catholic roots.