MADRID, Spain – On the third day of his seven-day state visit to Spain, Pope Leo XIV held a pivotal closed-door meeting with six survivors of clergy-committed sexual violence, where he pledged the Catholic Church would deepen its institutional reforms to address the long-running abuse crisis that has shaken global confidence in the Church hierarchy, Vatican officials confirmed Monday.
The hour-long gathering, held at the Vatican’s apostolic nunciature in Madrid, gave each survivor space to share their harrowing personal accounts of abuse and submit concrete recommendations to strengthen the Church’s response to these devastating cases. In a formal statement released after the meeting, the Vatican noted that Pope Leo committed to centering these proposals as a foundation for expanded action, with the goal of transforming the Church into a truly safe and spiritually healthy environment for all.
Earlier the same day, speaking to a assembly of Spanish bishops, the pontiff described clergy sexual abuse as a devastating “scourge” that demands unflinching response: “We must meet this crisis with intentional listening, radical transparency, full accountability for perpetrators, just reparations for survivors, and a relentless commitment to prevention and a culture of care that puts vulnerable people first.”
The meeting came amid public criticism from victim advocacy groups, who slammed the pontiff for excluding broader representation of survivors from the gathering. Speaking to AFP outside the nunciature, Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesperson for leading Spanish survivor organization Infancia Robada (Stolen Childhood), expressed deep disappointment: “We are disappointed that the pope, instead of listening to a sufficiently large and solid representation of victims, prefers to leave us out.”
The scale of the abuse crisis in Spain is staggering: a 2023 official report from Spain’s national ombudsman estimated that at least 200,000 minors have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy in the country since 1940. After decades of institutional denial and opacity from the Spanish Catholic Church, the national government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reached a landmark compensation agreement with the Spanish Church in March of this year, marking a major turning point for survivor justice.
Pope Leo, who has repeatedly acknowledged the ongoing harm of the abuse scandal, reiterated Saturday that the crisis remains “an open wound” for the global Catholic community, which counts 1.4 billion adherents worldwide.
Monday’s schedule also included a historic first: the 70-year-old, U.S.-born pontiff became the first pope to address the Spanish parliament, where his remarks received an extended standing ovation from lawmakers. In his address, he turned to pressing global issues, starting with the growing migration crisis that has reshaped European politics. He called for coordinated global action to address the “tragic drama” of forced migration, urging world leaders to create “safe and legal pathways” for migration and ensure all displaced people receive “a respectful welcome and real opportunities for integration.”
His remarks align with the relatively liberal immigration stance of Prime Minister Sanchez, whose government has faced intense political pressure over the policy from the conservative Popular Party and far-right Vox, which is now Spain’s third-largest political party. The pope is set to travel to the Canary Islands later in his visit, a major Atlantic entry point for irregular migrants traveling from North Africa to Europe, where he will honor the thousands of migrants who have died during the dangerous ocean crossing.
The pontiff also used the parliamentary address to make a forceful case for global peace, just hours after a deadly exchange of fire between Israel and Iran threatened to collapse a fragile regional ceasefire. Echoing his longstanding anti-war position – which has drawn fierce criticism from former U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside criticism of Sanchez – Pope Leo called for “patient dialogue” over armed conflict and escalating rearmament across Europe and the globe. “Weapons may impose a temporary silence but they can never build a genuine and lasting peace,” he told lawmakers.
Closing his address, the pontiff reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s anti-abortion and anti-euthanasia stance, urging Spanish legislators to defend life “from conception to its natural end.” This position puts him at odds with Sanchez’s left-wing government, which has legalized euthanasia under regulated conditions and is pushing to enshrine abortion rights in the Spanish constitution.
To cap off his full day of engagements, Pope Leo was scheduled to meet with the Madrid diocesan community at Real Madrid’s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. AFP correspondents on the ground reported that more than 80,000 supporters filled the venue an hour and a half before his expected arrival, singing hymns, waving flags of Spain, the Vatican and Latin American nations, and chanting “We are lions! We are lions!” – a playful reference to the name Leo, which means lion in Spanish.
Thus far, the papal visit has drawn massive public turnout: event organizers reported that more than 1.5 million worshippers attended an open-air mass Pope Leo celebrated in central Madrid on Sunday.
Upcoming stops on the visit include Barcelona on Wednesday, where the pontiff will bless the newly completed tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica, Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished architectural masterpiece that recently became the tallest church in the world. The visit will conclude Thursday and Friday in the Canary Islands, where Pope Leo will be joined by Prime Minister Sanchez for formal engagements.