Pope Leo XIV Calls for Defense of Life, Denounces Clergy Abuse in Spanish Parliament Address

Pope Leo XIV denounced the scourge of sexual violence by Catholic clergy on Monday and called for a culture of care in the Church. Faced with this scourge, the ecclesial community is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation and an ever more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care, the pope told a gathering of Spanish bishops.

Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing, he said.

Spanish media said the pope would speak later on Monday with victims at the Vatican embassy in Madrid, formally known as the apostolic nunciature. The Vatican said that a meeting will take place during the visit but would not give further information until after it has taken place out of respect for the victims.

Representatives of some victim groups complained they were being excluded from the meeting.

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 the AFP news agency. 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, he said, speaking outside the nunciature.

On the flight to Madrid on Saturday, the pope said the scandal of sexual violence was still an open wound for the Church.

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