Pope Leo tells French bishops to keep rooting out clergy abuse at Lourdes

Pope Leo urged French bishops at a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes to persevere against the “scourge” of sexual abuse of minors by clergy or in church settings and to maintain the greatest vigilance. On the third day of his four-day visit to France he later celebrated Mass before thousands and was due to meet abuse survivors privately. A 2021 inquiry found clergy or lay church members had abused about 330,000 children in France over 70 years.