Pope Leo XIV meets six clergy abuse survivors in Lima, including former Sodalitium members, in hour-long private encounter

Pope Leo XIV meets six clergy abuse survivors in Lima, including former Sodalitium members, in hour-long private encounter.

Pope Leo XIV met privately on Thursday with six survivors of abuse by members of the clergy and Church institutions in Peru, the Holy See Press Office said in a statement published by Vatican News.

The meeting began just after 4:30 p.m. local time at the Apostolic Nunciature in Lima and lasted a little over an hour. According to the Vatican, some of the survivors had previously belonged to groups linked to the Sodalitium of Christian Life, the Peruvian movement at the center of one of Latin America's most prominent abuse scandals.

After a short greeting in the nunciature's chapel, the pope met each survivor individually and listened to their stories. The Vatican said he reflected with them on how to foster a change in mindset by listening to victims, seeking the truth, supporting healing and committing to safe environments. He thanked them for their testimony, expressed his closeness to all victims he could not meet, and gave them his blessing.

Reuters reported that the pope is weighing changes in how the Church treats abuse victims, and Al Jazeera quoted him earlier saying the Church must confront clerical sexual abuse with truth and justice.

The encounter carries extra weight in Peru, where the American-born pontiff served for years as a missionary and bishop before his election. It comes during an emotional homecoming that has drawn the largest crowds of his papacy, and follows his message to Peruvian bishops and priests in Lima's cathedral a day earlier.

Focus Plus Media will continue following the pope's journey and any concrete reforms announced on the handling of abuse cases.