Pope Leo XIV Meets Abuse Survivors in Buenos Aires, Pledges Stronger Safeguards

Pope Leo XIV met five survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Buenos Aires on Monday, according to the Vatican, during the first of several meetings expected on his 12-day South American tour. The gathering lasted more than an hour, the Holy See said, as the pope heard accounts from people harmed by members of the Church. A Vatican statement said Leo spoke individually with each survivor, listening to their personal stories and ideas for improving support and healing. It said he reaffirmed his commitment to stronger safeguarding measures and expressed closeness to those who could not attend the meeting. The visit comes as the Catholic Church continues to face abuse scandals that have damaged its standing across Latin America. Before Leo arrived, some survivors called for tougher accountability, including a worldwide zero-tolerance policy for clergy facing credible abuse allegations. Vatican officials have previously pointed to the challenges of creating a single reporting framework across different countries and argued that removing priests can take them beyond Church supervision. Leo, the first US-born pope, is visiting three countries through November 17. The Vatican said he has met survivors on several previous foreign trips as part of efforts to address the Church’s record and repair trust. The pope spent decades as a missionary in Peru. Some survivors have credited him with pressing for the dissolution of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Peru-based Catholic community that faced allegations of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. The group was dissolved in 2025 by Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor, according to the report.