French abuse survivors seek deeper reform as Pope Leo visits Lourdes

Pope Leo is scheduled to meet seven survivors of Catholic clerical sexual abuse in Lourdes on Sunday during a four-day visit to France, people involved in the meeting said in a press release reported by Reuters. The trip comes five years after a 2021 French inquiry estimated that some 330,000 minors were abused between 1950 and 2020 by priests, religious, or lay workers in Church settings, and found that the Church had long failed victims.

The Independent National Body for Recognition and Reparation (INIRR), created after that report, has offered recognition and compensation of up to €60,000. INIRR President Marie Derain de Vaucresson told Reuters that 1,969 victims contacted the body over five years. France’s bishops’ conference says INIRR will cease operations on Oct. 1. After that, Reuters reported, people coming forward for the first time would first approach local parishes. The victims’ association Ampaseo said the planned follow-on arrangement lacks the independence and judicial oversight of the national mechanism. The French bishops have described the change as a continuation of compensation efforts. Survivor advocates told Reuters they hope the papal meeting will deepen accountability beyond one-off encounters.