Pope Leo XIV Urges Spanish Church to Address Abuse Crisis, Meets Survivors During Historic Visit
Pope Leo XIV told Spanish Catholic bishops they must listen to abuse victims and provide reparations during his visit to Spain, following a 2023 report documenting 200,000 cases of clergy sexual abuse. The pope met with six survivors and also became the first pope to address Spain's parliament, where he discussed migration, international law, and artificial intelligence. The visit highlights ongoing tensions between the church's efforts to address the abuse scandal and survivor organizations' concerns that the church is using selected victims to rehabilitate its image.
During his first trip to an EU member state outside Italy, Pope Leo XIV met with Spanish Catholic bishops and emphasized the church's obligation to listen to abuse victims, pursue truth and justice, and implement prevention measures. A 2023 Spanish human rights ombudsman report documented approximately 200,000 cases of sexual abuse by clergy, though the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) disputed the figures. The pope met privately with six abuse survivors, though survivor advocacy groups protested outside the Vatican's Madrid embassy, claiming they were not informed of the meeting and arguing that the selected survivors do not represent all victims. In a historic first, Leo also addressed Spain's parliament, where he received a standing ovation while discussing migration, international conflicts, and artificial intelligence. The visit occurs as Catholic identification in Spain has declined sharply from 90% in the 1970s to 55% in 2025, and follows a government-church compensation agreement signed earlier in 2025.
What's missing
The article does not specify the total number of abuse victims who have received compensation under the 2025 government-church agreement, nor does it detail the compensation amounts or timeline for payouts.
What different sources said
- Deutsche WelleCenter
Pope Leo urges Spain's church to listen to abuse victims
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