Vatican confirms Pope Leo XIV will meet abuse survivors during France state visit
The meeting follows the appointment of French Bishop Thibault Verny to lead the Vatican’s child protection commission and comes against the backdrop of a 2021 report estimating 330,000 children were abused by church personnel in France.
The Vatican announced on Friday that Pope Leo XIV will meet with survivors of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church during his upcoming four-day state visit to France, scheduled from September 25 to 28. The Holy See confirmed the engagement but did not immediately provide specific details regarding the timing or location of the meeting, noting that victims will be directly involved in its preparation. A separate statement highlighted that the specific arrangements will be communicated at a later date.
This engagement aligns with the pontiff’s recent vow to intensify efforts to address sex abuse scandals within the institution. The announcement follows the Pope’s appointment last month of French Bishop Thibault Verny to head the Vatican’s child protection advisory commission, a move signalling a continued institutional focus on governance and accountability regarding clergy sexual abuse.
The visit marks the first time a Pope has made a state visit to Paris. While Pope Francis visited France twice during his pontificate, he never undertook a state visit to the capital, opting instead for a day trip to Strasbourg in 2014 and a conference in Marseille in 2023. Pope Leo XIV’s itinerary begins in Paris with a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, where he will address authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.
Contextualising the scale of the issue in France, a 2021 report estimated that 330,000 children had been sexually abused over a 70-year period by church personnel. The Pope’s recent trip to Spain included a meeting with six abuse survivors, occurring as the Catholic hierarchy in Spain begins to reckon with its legacy of abuse and cover-up.
The France itinerary also includes a visit to UNESCO headquarters, a stop in Lourdes to celebrate vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral and meet with pilgrims, and an interreligious meeting in Metz near the German border. This is the Pope’s fourth foreign voyage of the year, following trips to Monaco, four African nations, and Spain.
