Pope Leo XIV To Meet Clergy Abuse Survivors During Sept. 25–28 Visit to France

Pope Leo XIV will meet survivors of clergy sexual abuse during a four-day visit to France Sept. 25–28, the Vatican announced. The trip includes stops in Paris, Lourdes and Metz and a visit to UNESCO headquarters.

Meeting With Survivors

The Vatican said several abuse survivors will meet personally with the pope and will take part in preparing that meeting; exact timing and the location will be announced later. Leo recently met six survivors during a visit to Spain, underscoring a continued effort to confront the church's past failings.

Itinerary Highlights

Paris (Sept. 25) — The pope will begin his visit at the Élysée Palace with President Emmanuel Macron, address authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps, and deliver remarks at UNESCO. He will celebrate vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral and end the day with a prayer vigil for young people at the national stadium.

Social Inclusion and Lourdes (Sept. 26) — The second day emphasizes social inclusion and lay participation: Leo will visit the Maison Bakhita center for social support and integration and meet a synodal assembly of laypeople and recently baptized Catholics. He will then travel to Lourdes to pray at the Grotto of the Apparitions, meet staff and the sick at Accueil Notre-Dame, and participate in the sanctuary's traditional Rosary and torchlight procession.

Metz (Closing) — The pope will conclude the trip in Metz with an interreligious meeting at a conference center named for Robert Schuman, a key figure in European integration who was declared "venerable" in 2021.

Context and Church Response

A 2021 report in France estimated that roughly 330,000 children were sexually abused by church personnel over a 70-year period. In a move signaling continued attention to the issue, Leo last month appointed French Bishop Thibault Verny to lead the Vatican's child protection advisory commission.

This France trip, confirmed in May, is Leo's fourth foreign journey of the year. Earlier visits included a day trip to Monaco in March, a multi-nation trip to four African countries in April, and travel to Spain and the Canary Islands in June. The Vatican also confirmed that Leo will make his first trip to Latin America as pope in November, visiting Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he lived for more than three decades.

Shifting Focus

Compared with his predecessor, the late Pope Francis — who largely avoided major European Christian centers during his 12-year pontificate — Leo appears to be giving greater attention to events and faithful across Europe while addressing the church's legacy of abuse.