Pope to Make State Visit to France Next Month... To Meet Clergy Abuse Survivors

Pope Leo XIV will meet with victims of clergy sexual abuse during his official visit to France next month.

In an announcement regarding the Pope's visit to France on the 7th local time, the Vatican stated, "The victims themselves will participate in the preparation process for this meeting."

A French victims' advocacy group requested a meeting with the Pope last May, urging the church to take active measures regarding the issue of sexual abuse within the church.

They are known to have suffered sexual abuse at a Catholic school near Lourdes in southwestern France.

A 2021 investigation revealed that approximately 330,000 children were abused by clergy or lay church personnel in France over a 70-year period.

The Pope's upcoming visit to France will take place over four days from September 25 to 28.

During his visit, the Pope is scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and visit the UNESCO headquarters.

He will preside over evening prayers at Notre-Dame Cathedral and hold a prayer meeting with young people.

This will be the first state visit to France by a Pope since September 2008 under Pope Benedict XVI.

His predecessor, Pope Francis, visited France twice, but not in the format of a state visit.

He visited Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and went to Marseille in 2023 to attend a meeting on migrant issues.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.