Pope Leo XIV Denounces Clergy Sexual Abuse as 'Scourge' During Spain Visit

Pope Leo XIV on Monday denounced the 'scourge' of sexual violence by Catholic clergy and called for a 'culture of care' within the Church, ahead of an expected private meeting with victims in Madrid. Speaking to a gathering of Spanish bishops, the first U.S.-born pontiff said, 'One of the most painful encounters is with those who have been wounded precisely by those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy.' He emphasized that the ecclesial community must respond with 'listening, truth, justice, reparation and an ever more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care.' The pope added that every wounded person must find 'sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing.'

Spanish media reported that the pope would meet with victims later Monday at the Vatican embassy in Madrid, known as the apostolic nunciature. However, representatives of some victim groups complained they were being excluded.

Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesman for the association Infancia Robada (Stolen Childhood), told AFP outside the nunciature, 'We are disappointed that the pope, instead of listening to a sufficiently large and solid representation of victims, prefers to leave us out. We are going to keep pushing until the end, insisting that the Pope has to see us, has to hear us, we have a voice.' The Vatican stated that a meeting would take place during the visit but declined to provide further details out of 'respect for the victims.'

Speaking to reporters on the flight to Madrid on Saturday, the 70-year-old pope described the scandal of sexual violence as 'still an open wound' for the Church. A 2023 report from Spain's national ombudsman estimated that around 200,000 minors have suffered sexual violence by clergy in Spain since 1940.

In March, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government and the Catholic Church in Spain signed an agreement to compensate victims, after years of reluctance from the Church hierarchy.

Earlier on Monday, the pope delivered an unprecedented speech to the Spanish parliament, receiving a lengthy standing ovation from lawmakers. He called for a global response to the 'tragic drama' of migration and urged world peace as a 'true global imperative.' The pope also urged lawmakers to defend life 'from conception to its natural end,' in a country where the left-wing government has legalized euthanasia under strict conditions and seeks to include abortion rights in the constitution.

He advocated for 'safe and legal pathways' for immigration and for migrants to receive 'a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration.'

The pope's seven-day visit to Spain includes a trip to the Canary Islands, where he will pay tribute to migrants who have lost their lives at sea on perilous journeys from Africa. The archipelago has become a major entry point for unauthorized migrants entering Europe.

The pope, who has been criticized by President Trump for his anti-war views, also called for 'patient dialogue' instead of conflict and rearmament. 'Weapons may impose a temporary silence but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace,' he said.

The speech followed an open-air mass in central Madrid attended by more than 1 million people. On Wednesday, the pope will bless the new tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, the still-unfinished masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí that recently became the world's tallest church.

The visit concludes Thursday and Friday in the Canary Islands, where the pope will be joined by Prime Minister Sánchez.