Pope warns bishops about abuse in Lourdes

Pope Leo said sexual abuse within the Catholic Church must be completely eradicated during a closed-door meeting with French bishops in Lourdes, in southern France. In a message later shared with the press by the Vatican, he stressed the need for the highest level of vigilance against crimes involving children.

The meeting at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes took place on the third day of the Pope's four-day official visit to France. After presiding over a mass attended by thousands earlier in the day, Leo also met with seven people who said they had been abused by French clergy.

According to the Vatican, the Pope listened to the victims' accounts and repeated his determination to ensure such abuse is never repeated for others. Speaking after the meeting, Jean-Marie Delbos said Leo had heard their files and been briefed on the cases.

How large is the abuse scandal in France?

A 2021 independent inquiry found that church members and people connected to the church in France had abused around 330,000 children over 70 years. The findings deepened debate over accountability within Catholic institutions in the country.

  • According to the inquiry, the cases date back to the 1950s.
  • The problem of sexual abuse within the Church is not limited to France; similar cases have emerged in other countries.

During Pope Francis' pontificate, the Church held a summit to fight pedophilia and changed its rules. But the latest message suggested the Vatican still sees the problem as far from fully resolved.

What else stood out during the France visit?

Large crowds and official meetings in Paris

The Lourdes meeting came after a huge turnout in Paris the day before. An estimated 700,000 people gathered at Place de la Concorde to hear the Pope, while Leo rode along the Champs-Élysées in the open-top popemobile; he also met with Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

The Church's changing presence in France

Regular church attendance in France has fallen from 35% of the population in 1960 to below 5% today, while the number of priests has dropped from 25,000 in 1990 to fewer than 9,000. By contrast, adult baptisms have more than doubled over the past five years, reaching 10,000 in 2025, suggesting renewed interest in religious tradition in some areas.

On Pope Leo's first official visit to France since being elected head of the Catholic Church in May 2025, he was also due later in the day to meet people staying and working at a health facility in Lourdes before joining a torchlit religious procession.