Pope Leo XIV will meet abuse survivors during Latin America trip, Vatican says
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAPope Leo XIV will meet with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy during his November 6–17 three-country tour of South America, the Vatican said Tuesday, continuing a practice he has kept on recent foreign trips.
“Several meetings are planned with people who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church,” the Holy See Press Office said in its Tuesday statement. “These meetings reflect the pope's desire to express his closeness to those who have suffered, and who still suffer, because of this violence,” it said, adding that they aim to open “paths to healing accessible to anyone who needs them” and to ensure the Church is “a safe and spiritually healthy place that lives and communicates the Gospel.”
The announcement came a day after the Vatican confirmed the 12-day journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru will proceed as planned, with the Pope's doctor finding no medical contraindications after his October 13 lung surgery. The trip is one of the most intense foreign journeys of his pontificate so far, and a homecoming of sorts: Leo, originally from the United States, served as a missionary and bishop in Peru for decades before becoming pope.
He has held similar meetings on earlier trips this year, including with survivors in Madrid on June 8 and a two-hour meeting with seven French victims in Lourdes on September 27, after which the Vatican said he reaffirmed his commitment to ending abuse of children by Catholic priests.
Sources: Reuters (Oct 27, 2026); CathoNews (Oct 27, 2026); Holy See Press Office statement (Oct 27, 2026).
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