Pope Leo XIV Denounces Clergy Abuse, Addresses Spanish Parliament and Meets Victims

Pope Leo XIV on Monday denounced the scourge of sexual violence by Catholic clergy and called for a culture of care in the Church. He spoke to a gathering of Spanish bishops ahead of an expected private meeting with victims at the Vatican embassy in Madrid.

"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," the 70-year-old pontiff said.

" "Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing," he added. Spanish media reported the meeting with victims would occur later Monday at the apostolic nunciature. Representatives of some victim groups said they were excluded from the session.

"We are disappointed that the pope, instead of listening to a sufficiently large and solid representation of victims, prefers to leave us out," Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesman for the association Infancia Robada, told AFP outside the nunciature. "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," Cuatrecasas said.

The Vatican stated a meeting would occur during the visit but would not release details until afterward out of respect for the victims.

A 2023 report from Spain's national ombudsman estimated that around 200,000 minors have suffered sexual violence by clergy in Spain since 1940. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government and the Catholic Church signed an agreement in March to compensate victims.

Earlier on Monday, Pope Leo XIV delivered an unprecedented speech to a joint session of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid.

Lawmakers greeted the address with a lengthy standing ovation. -born pope called for a global response to the tragic drama of migration and said world peace was a true global imperative. He urged lawmakers to defend life from conception to its natural end and called for safe and legal pathways for immigration along with 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. The visit will conclude Thursday and Friday in the archipelago, where Sanchez will join him. 5 million people.

On Wednesday he is scheduled to bless the new tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona.