Pope Leo XIV has met survivors of clerical sexual abuse in Lourdes, France, during his first official visit to the country.
The Pope met privately with seven survivors on Sunday as part of efforts to support victims and advance reforms in the Catholic Church.
Leo arrived in Lourdes on Saturday, the third day of his four day visit to France, and waved to believers on his way to Mass.
One of those who met the Pope was a former pupil of Notre Dame de Betharram, a nearby boarding school that has faced allegations of physical and sexual abuse spanning several decades.
A 2021 inquiry found that about 330,000 people were abused as minors by clergy or other members of the Catholic Church in France over a period of 70 years.
The Lourdes visit comes as Leo continues a trip combining religious activities with discussions on the role of the Catholic Church in French society.
On Saturday, he celebrated an open air Mass at Paris’ Place de la Concorde and adjoining areas, where Vatican figures estimated that about 800,000 people gathered.
The Pope also prayed for France ahead of its next presidential election, asking the Virgin Mary to help the country find “wise and generous leaders” committed to serving the common good.
He called on France to use its voice to promote fundamental human rights and peace, while rejecting what he described as a mentality of war.
Several political figures attended the Mass, including far right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Edouard Philippe.
President Emmanuel Macron did not attend but was represented by his wife, Brigitte Macron.
Lourdes is one of the world’s most important Catholic pilgrimage sites and attracts about three million visitors each year.
The town is associated with reported appearances of the Virgin Mary to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Leo is the third Pope to visit Lourdes, following Benedict XVI in 2008 and John Paul II, who visited in 1983 and 2004.
His visit comes nearly two decades after the last official papal visit to France.
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