Pope Leo XIV meets abuse survivors during Argentina visit

Pope Leo XIV held private meetings with five survivors of clerical sexual abuse on the second day of his visit to Argentina. The talks took place in Buenos Aires on Monday and are expected to be followed by further meetings with abuse survivors during his 12-day tour of Latin America, according to the Vatican.

The Vatican said the pope spoke with each survivor individually, listening to their experiences and to their suggestions for improving healing processes within the Church.

The meetings followed an open-air mass that drew an estimated 2.5 million people to Avenida del Libertador in Buenos Aires, at the Monumento de los Espanoles, marking the country's first papal mass in almost 40 years.

The Vatican said in October that such meetings reflect the pope's wish to show solidarity with those who have suffered, to support healing, and to ensure the Church remains a safe and healthy environment.

Leo, the first pope born in the United States, has regularly met survivors during his foreign trips as part of broader efforts to rebuild trust in the Catholic Church, which has faced decades of scandals linked to abuse and cover-ups. Estimates cited include 216,000 victims in France between 1950 and 2020, more than 10,600 in the United States between 1950 and 2002, and 6,875 in Australia between 1980 and 2015.

The meeting in Buenos Aires lasted more than an hour. Leo, 71, who previously headed the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, again committed to strengthening protective measures within the Church.