Pope Leo meets six church abuse survivors in Peru

Pope Leo XIV met six survivors of abuse by clergy and church institutions in Lima on Thursday, the Vatican said. The private meeting at the apostolic nunciature, the Vatican’s diplomatic mission, lasted just over an hour.

The Pope spoke to each person individually, according to the Holy See press office. It said they discussed listening to victims, seeking the truth, supporting healing and creating safe environments. Some of those present had previously belonged to groups linked to Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Catholic lay movement, the Vatican said.

One participant, Chilean journalist Camila Bustamante, told Peruvian newspaper La República that she spoke to Leo for about eight minutes. She said she told him about abuse involving the Siervas del Plan de Dios and asked him not to abandon the process of making reparations to victims.

The meeting took place during the final leg of the Pope’s tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. He met five abuse survivors in Buenos Aires on Monday, Reuters reported. Leo spent about 20 years as a missionary in Peru and was bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023.

Peruvian journalist José Enrique Escardó criticised the handling of the Lima meeting, telling La República that he had been excluded and that some survivors were not being heard.