By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 15, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Pope Leo XIV is set to meet with survivors of clergy abuse during his upcoming visit to France from September 25 to 28, as announced by the Vatican. This meeting underscores the Pope’s commitment to addressing the Church’s ongoing efforts to confront and rectify its history of sexual abuse scandals. The Vatican has not yet disclosed specific details about the timing and location of this meeting, which will involve the survivors in its planning.
The Pope’s itinerary includes visits to UNESCO headquarters, a meeting with French bishops in Lourdes, and an interreligious gathering in Metz. This visit marks his fourth international trip of the year, following visits to Monaco, four African nations, Spain, and the Canary Islands. In November, he is scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, marking his first trip to Latin America as pontiff.
During his recent trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV met with six abuse survivors, highlighting the Catholic Church’s ongoing reckoning with its past abuses and cover-ups. In France, a 2021 report estimated that 330,000 children were sexually abused by church personnel over 70 years. To further address these issues, the Pope appointed French Bishop Thibault Verny to lead the Vatican’s child protection advisory commission.
In Paris, Pope Leo XIV will meet with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, where he will address authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps. He will also deliver a speech at UNESCO headquarters, celebrate vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral, and conclude the day with a prayer vigil for young people at the national stadium. This visit reflects a commitment to justice and accountability, resonating with the biblical call to “act justly and to love mercy” (Micah 6:8).
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Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
