Pope Leo XIV met privately with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse in Lourdes, France, on Sunday, pledging his continued commitment to preventing abuse within the Church.

The four men and three women had suffered abuse in various Catholic settings, including parishes, boarding schools, religious communities, and ecclesial movements. Their meeting with the Holy Father lasted approximately two hours at the bishop’s residence near the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Pope Leo spoke privately with each survivor, hearing about the abuse they endured and, in some cases, the failure of others to intervene. The survivors also shared proposals for preventing future abuse. The Holy Father spent time in prayer with some of them.

After the individual conversations, Pope Leo addressed the group together. He thanked them for sharing their experiences and reaffirmed his determination to help prevent others from suffering similar abuse. He also expressed his closeness to survivors throughout the Church and his hope that Catholic communities will increasingly become places of healing and protection.

The group presented Pope Leo with letters from other survivors and organizations that were not represented at the meeting.

Earlier that day, the Holy Father addressed clerical abuse during a meeting with the French bishops. He urged them to maintain vigilance and continue pursuing truth, justice, reparation, prevention, and the protection of minors.

The Church in France has undertaken significant reforms following the 2021 report from the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church. Pope Leo encouraged the bishops to continue the work already underway, emphasizing the Church’s responsibility to listen to survivors, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that abuse is not repeated.