June 8, 2026 / 7:31 AM EDT
/ CBS/AFP
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Pope Leo XIV on Monday denounced the "scourge" of sexual violence by Catholic clergy and called for a "culture of care" in the Church ahead of an expected private meeting with victims in Spain. "One of the most painful encounters is with those who have been wounded precisely by those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy," the first U.S.-born pope said, according to the Reuters news service."Faced with this scourge, the ecclesial community is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation and an ever more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care," the pontiff told a gathering of Spanish bishops. "Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing," he said.
Pope Leo XIV delivers a speech during a joint session of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, Spain on June 8, 2026. Ciro de Luca/Pool via REUTERS
