Pope Leo Condemns the Church’s ‘Scourge’

Pope Leo XIV used a visit to Spain on Monday to bluntly confront the Catholic Church’s long-running abuse crisis, condemning sexual violence by clergy as a “scourge” and urging a shift toward what he called a “culture of care.” Speaking to Spanish bishops in Madrid, the first US-born pope said some of the Church’s “most painful encounters is with those who have been wounded precisely by those who were supposed to care for them,” and called for listening, truth, justice, reparations, and stronger prevention efforts. A private meeting with victims was expected later at the Vatican’s embassy, reports CBS News, though some survivor groups criticized their exclusion and vowed to keep pressing for direct talks.

The visit comes amid a reckoning in Spain, where a 2023 report estimated some 200,000 minors have suffered abuse by clergy since 1940 and a new government-Church agreement will compensate victims. Earlier Monday, Leo delivered a first-ever papal address to Spain’s Parliament, coupling his abuse remarks with calls for legal migration routes, a “respectful welcome” for migrants, and laws that protect life “from conception to its natural end.” He’ll make stops in Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia cathedral and the Canary Islands, a key gateway for migrants to Europe. On a much lighter note, the Washington Post notes that Bad Bunny is also touring in Spain, and has requested a papal audience—though it says “the bigger star might be the pope.”