Pope meets with clergy abuse survivors in Argentina

Pope Leo XIV met privately with five survivors of clerical sexual abuse in Buenos Aires, listening to their accounts and proposals for healing. The meeting was part of his 12-day Latin American tour and reflects his stated aim of improving support for survivors and strengthening safeguarding in the Catholic Church.

The discussion lasted more than an hour and was the first of several survivor meetings planned during the tour. It came a day after an estimated 2.5 million people attended an open-air mass in Argentina, the country’s first papal liturgy in nearly 40 years. Argentina is the second stop of Leo’s three-country visit, which began in Uruguay and will conclude in Peru.