Pope Leo met six survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Lima on Thursday, discussing how the Catholic Church could improve the way it listens to victims, acknowledges their experiences and supports their recovery, the Vatican said.
The meeting, which lasted more than an hour, was the pope’s second encounter with abuse survivors during his 12-day South American tour. The discussions focused on changing the Church’s approach to victims, establishing pathways towards healing and creating safer environments, according to a Vatican statement.
“The pope met with each person individually, listening to their stories of suffering and pain,” the statement said.
“Together, they reflected on how to foster a change in mindset through listening to victims, seeking the truth, paths toward healing, and a commitment to creating safe environments,” it added.
Camila Bustamante, one of the survivors who attended the meeting, described it as “an important milestone”, saying Leo appeared “very committed” to helping victims. However, she cautioned that survivors rarely achieve closure in their cases.
“Victims are accustomed to persevering, even when things become difficult,” said Bustamante, who is also a journalist. “I believe the message must be that we should not give up and that we must continue working for a world without abuse.”
Leo, the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catholic Church, is making an emotional return to the country where he served as a missionary for about 20 years and later became bishop of Chiclayo, a position he held from 2015 to 2023. His visit to Peru, which continues until November 16, is the final stage of a three-country tour that has also taken him to Uruguay and Argentina.
The pope has met survivors of clerical abuse during several overseas visits as part of efforts to address the damage caused by abuse scandals to the Church’s reputation. His latest meeting included former members of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Peru-based Catholic community that faced allegations of sexual, physical and psychological abuse.
Some survivors have credited Leo with pressing the Vatican to dissolve the organisation. His predecessor, Pope Francis, formally dissolved it in 2025.
Earlier in the South American tour, Leo met five survivors of clergy abuse in Buenos Aires on Monday. That meeting, however, attracted criticism from the international survivors’ organisation Ending Clergy Abuse, which said it had failed to include a larger number of victims.
The group specifically highlighted the absence of survivors from a notorious case involving at least 20 people who were sexually abused at an institute for deaf children in Argentina.
The Vatican did not provide further details about how the Buenos Aires meeting had been organised. It generally avoids discussing the arrangements for papal meetings with abuse survivors, citing their privacy.
The discussions in Lima took place as Leo continued his visit to Peru, where large crowds have gathered during his return to the country in which he spent much of his earlier religious career.
