Pope Leo XIV held a deeply personal meeting with survivors of clergy abuse in Peru on Thursday, November 12, listening to their experiences and discussing the need for greater accountability, healing, and protection within the Catholic Church.
The private gathering took place at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lima, where the Holy Father spent more than an hour with six individuals who had experienced abuse involving clergy members and Church institutions.
According to Vatican News, the meeting began shortly after 4:30 p.m. local time and included survivors who had previously been associated with groups connected to the Sodalitium of Christian Life.
The encounter offered an opportunity for those affected by abuse to speak directly with the Pope about the suffering they had endured.
Following an initial greeting in the Nunciature’s chapel, Pope Leo met privately with each survivor, giving them an opportunity to share their individual experiences.
The Holy See Press Office described the discussions as focused on the need to foster meaningful changes in how the Church responds to abuse and supports those who have suffered.
According to the Vatican’s statement, the Pope and survivors reflected “on how to foster a change in mindset through listening to victims, seeking the truth, supporting healing processes, and committing to the creation of safe environments.”
The discussion highlighted several essential responsibilities facing the Church, including taking survivors’ accounts seriously, pursuing the truth, assisting those seeking healing, and preventing future abuse.
For Catholics, these responsibilities reflect the Church’s moral obligation to defend human dignity, protect the vulnerable, and ensure that those entrusted with spiritual authority are held accountable for their actions.
The meeting also underscored the importance of personal encounters with survivors as part of the Church’s ongoing response to the suffering caused by abuse.
Before concluding the gathering, Pope Leo expressed gratitude to the six individuals for their willingness to share their experiences.
According to Vatican News, the Holy Father “thanked them for their valuable testimony, expressing his closeness to them and to all those victims of abuse whom he had been unable to meet.”
He then offered his blessing to those present.
Although the meeting was limited to six survivors, the Pope’s acknowledgment of others who had suffered abuse extended his expression of solidarity beyond those gathered in Lima.
The encounter comes as the Catholic Church continues to confront the painful consequences of abuse within its institutions and the responsibility to create environments where children and vulnerable individuals are protected.
For the faithful, the meeting serves as a reminder that genuine healing requires more than expressions of sympathy. It demands a commitment to truth, justice, accountability, and the dignity of every person harmed.
Pope Leo’s meeting in Peru placed the experiences of survivors at the center of that responsibility, emphasizing the importance of listening and the continuing need for a Church in which safety, compassion, and accountability are upheld.
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