Pope Leo XIV condemns clergy sexual abuse as "scourge"

Pope Leo XIV has denounced sexual violence committed by Catholic clergy as a "scourge" and urged the Church to strengthen support for survivors, as he prepared for an expected private meeting with abuse victims during his visit to Spain.

Speaking to a gathering of Spanish bishops on June 8, the first U.S.-born pope acknowledged the deep harm caused by abuse within the Church, CBS News reports.

"One of the most painful encounters is with those who have been wounded precisely by those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy," the pontiff said.

"Faced with this scourge, the ecclesial community is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation and an ever more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care," he added.

"Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing," he said.

Spanish media reported that Leo was due to meet victims later in the day at the Vatican embassy in Madrid, known as the apostolic nunciature. Ahead of the expected meeting, some survivor groups criticised the Vatican for not inviting a broader representation of victims.

"We are disappointed that the pope, instead of listening to a sufficiently large and solid representation of victims, prefers to leave us out," Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesman for the association Infancia Robada (Stolen Childhood), told AFP.

"We are going to keep pushing until the end, insisting that the Pope has to see us, has to hear us, we have a voice," he added.

The Vatican confirmed that a meeting with victims would take place during the pope’s visit but said it would release details only afterward out of "respect for the victims."

Speaking to reporters while traveling to Madrid, the 70-year-old pontiff described the abuse crisis as "still an open wound" for the Catholic Church.

According to a 2023 report by Spain’s national ombudsman, around 200,000 minors may have suffered sexual violence at the hands of clergy in Spain since 1940. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government and the Spanish Catholic Church agreed on a compensation framework for survivors after years of resistance from church authorities.

By Sabina Mammadli