Pope Leo urges Spanish bishops to provide reparations to abuse survivors
The pope met six survivors and backed Spain’s reparations process, as advocates said the Church still must do more for victims.
- On Monday, Pope Leo XIV visited Madrid, where associations representing victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy complained about their exclusion from a private meeting reportedly scheduled at the Vatican embassy.
- Abuse remains "still an open wound" for the Church, as Spain's national ombudsman reported in 2023 that more than 200,000 minors may have suffered assaults by Catholic clergy since 1940.
- Infancia Robada spokesman Juan Cuatrecasas criticized the meeting as "strictly controlled," warning that the Pope would only encounter a "completely skewed reality" rather than listening to a representative group of victims.
- King Felipe VI hailed the Pope's "clarity and firmness" during the welcome, while the Vatican maintained meeting details remain private out of "respect for the victims."
- Ahead of a trip to the Canary Islands, the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics called for "patient dialogue" on migration, a stance that has drawn harsh criticism from President Donald Trump.
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Pope Leo XIV Meets With Six Clergy Abuse Survivors in Madrid
Pope Leo XIV meets with abuse survivors at the Apostolic Nunciature in Madrid June 8, 2026, during his June 6-12 apostolic journey to Spain. During the conversation, which lasted nearly an hour, each of six survivors, drawing on their own painful personal experiences, offered the Pope Leo suggestions on how to make the Church’s response to such tragic cases more effective. (Photo: OSV News/Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media) by Junno Arocho Esteves …
During his visit to Spain, Pope Leo XIV met six victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
Pope meets with 6 clergy abuse survivors in Spain, hopes to improve response | Chattanooga Times Free Press
Pope Leo XIV met Monday with six survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Madrid and vowed to consider their suggestions for how the Catholic Church can improve its response to the crisis, the Vatican said.
On his trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV met with abuse victims and apparently made concessions. Important victim associations were not invited.
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