Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV has called on senior Catholic leaders across the world to listen more closely to victims of clerical sexual abuse, warning that the Church continues to carry deep wounds caused not only by abuse itself but by the failure to hear and welcome survivors.
Pope Leo XIV stressed the urgent need for the Catholic Church to listen to victims of clerical sexual abuse during a closed-door meeting with cardinals from around the world, according to remarks released by the Vatican on Saturday.
Speaking at the conclusion of a two-day consistory at the Vatican, the pontiff described the abuse of children and vulnerable adults by priests as a lingering “wound” within the Church.
“Listening is profoundly important,” Pope Leo said in his address, adding, “We cannot close our eyes, nor our hearts.”
The US-born pope, who assumed leadership of the Church’s 1.4 billion faithful in May following the death of Pope Francis, noted that abuse was not formally discussed during the meeting. However, he said he deliberately raised the issue in his closing remarks because of its continued impact on the Church worldwide.
“This is a problem that still today is truly a wound in the life of the Church in many places,” he said.
Pope Leo urged the cardinals to take his message back to local bishops, stressing that many survivors have suffered further harm because their voices were ignored.
“I would like to say, and encourage you to share this with the bishops: many times the pain of the victims has been worsened by the fact that they were not welcomed and listened to,” he said.
According to the pope, the trauma caused by abuse often lasts a lifetime, but institutional silence has deepened the scandal.
“The abuse itself causes a deep wound that can last a lifetime,” he said. “But many times the scandal in the Church is because the door has been closed and the victims have not been welcomed.”
He further revealed a personal encounter with a survivor that underscored the gravity of the issue. “A victim recently told me that the most painful thing for her was that no bishop wanted to listen to her,” he added.
About 170 cardinals attended the consistory, held on Wednesday and Thursday, where discussions focused on the future direction of the Catholic Church. Pope Leo has invited the cardinals to reconvene at the end of June, an initiative the Vatican said would become an annual gathering.
