Pope Leo has held his first meeting with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, marking a significant moment in the Church’s ongoing reckoning with decades of scandal. The meeting, which took place on Monday at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, brought together four survivors and two advocates from Ending Clergy Abuse, an international coalition of victims.
Participants described the one-hour session as “a significant moment of dialogue,” offering renewed hope for truth, justice, and healing within the global Catholic community.
The gathering came just days after a strongly worded report from the Vatican’s own child protection commission accused senior bishops of failing to adequately support victims or hold negligent Church leaders accountable. The report criticized the lack of transparency regarding how abuse reports are handled, deepening concerns about institutional resistance to reform.
Gemma Hickey, a Canadian survivor who attended the meeting, said Pope Leo “listened carefully and was very warm,” while Ugandan survivor Janet Aguti called the meeting “a big step forward.” Both expressed optimism that this new papacy could represent a turning point in the Church’s response to sexual abuse.
Elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis, Leo—the first U.S. pope—acknowledged the enormity of the crisis, saying he is still learning how best to address it. “The times where a pope is saying one sentence and everything is settled is over,” said German survivor Matthias Katsch, emphasizing Leo’s willingness to engage in dialogue.
Survivors urged the pope to establish a universal zero-tolerance policy for clergy found guilty of abuse, mirroring the U.S. Church’s 2002 reforms following the Boston scandals. Timothy Law, co-founder of Ending Clergy Abuse, said he asked Leo, “Why can’t we make it universal?”
Pope Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, has previously met survivors during his missionary work in Peru. His latest engagement signals a renewed commitment to confronting one of the Church’s deepest wounds—one conversation at a time.
