Pope Leo in Lourdes: The Church must heal her ‘wounds, infidelities, and painful errors’

Pope Leo XIV called for repentance and penance during a Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday, Sept. 27. He stated that the Church must have the courage to recognize its own faults, including deep wounds, infidelities, and painful errors, to achieve spiritual growth and healing.

The Pope is scheduled to meet with seven victims of clerical sexual abuse in France later on Sunday. The meeting takes place in Lourdes, where the Basilica of the Rosary recently covered mosaics by Father Marko Rupnik, an accused sexual abuser currently on trial at the Vatican.

The Pope's remarks follow a 2021 report by the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE), which estimated that 216,000 children were abused by priests, deacons, monks, or nuns in France between 1950 and 2020.