The seven abuse victims received this Sunday by Leo XIV in Lourdes have asked the Pope for concrete measures to address the cases that continue to shake the Church in France. After a meeting that lasted nearly two hours, five of the participants appeared before the media and said they had found a Pontiff who was informed, attentive to their stories, and aware that there is still “a huge amount of work to be done.”
According to Vatican News after the meeting, the victims presented Leo XIV with several proposals on which the Pope did not offer an immediate response. “Today we made numerous requests. We are waiting for answers,” they said, while warning that they will remain “vigilant” regarding the steps the Church may take.
They call for the dissolution of the Fathers of Bétharram
Among the requests made, the one formulated by Jean-Marie Delbos stands out. A victim of abuse when he was a student at the Notre-Dame de Bétharram school, he directly proposed to the Pope the dissolution of the Congregation of the Fathers of Bétharram.
The Bétharram case has become one of the major abuse scandals in France. An independent commission created to investigate the violence committed at the institution published its report last June after twelve months of work, based on testimonies from victims, archives, and statements from officials and experts.
Delbos also explained that he had lost his faith after the abuse he suffered and that this Sunday he attended Mass for the first time in decades. He recounted that the meeting with Leo XIV had given him “a new vision” of the Church and of the Pontiff himself.
Leo XIV met individually with the victims
The meeting began shortly after 5:30 p.m. at the episcopal residence in Lourdes. Four men and three women took part, accompanied by Bishop Gérard Le Stang, Bishop of Amiens and president of the Council for the Prevention and Fight against Pedophilia of the French Episcopal Conference.
Leo XIV first met individually and privately with each of the participants. According to the official communication from the Holy See, he listened to their accounts of the pain and suffering endured, in some cases “with the complicity or silence of those who could have helped them,” as well as their proposals to prevent abuse from happening again. He also spent a few moments in prayer with some of them.
The meeting, initially scheduled to last about an hour, ended up extending for nearly one hour and fifty minutes. After the individual conversations, the Pope gathered the seven victims, thanked them for their testimonies, and reiterated his commitment to preventing others from suffering the same harm.
“He is not naïve”
The participants especially highlighted Leo XIV’s knowledge of their respective cases. Jérôme Guillement stated that the Pontiff already knew his story and asked him specific questions, an attitude he interpreted as a sign that the Pope had personally prepared for the meeting.
According to the victims’ testimony, the conversation also addressed the systemic nature of the abuse and the mechanisms that for decades allowed it to continue within ecclesiastical and educational institutions.
“He is not naïve,” Guillement said when describing Leo XIV’s attitude. In his view, the Pope is aware that cases will continue to emerge and that vigilance must be maintained. The participants also said that the Pontiff spoke of working together with entities outside the Church to address the problem.
The meeting took place just hours after Leo XIV urged the French bishops to maintain “maximum vigilance” regarding abuse and to continue working for truth, justice, and reparation. The victims, for their part, made it clear at the end of the meeting that the listening they received in Lourdes must now translate into decisions: “We are waiting for answers.”