Pope Leo denounces what he calls "scourge" of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy

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Pope Leo XIV connected Monday denounced the "scourge" of intersexual unit by Catholic clergy and called for a "culture of care" successful the Church up of an expected backstage gathering with victims successful Spain.

"One of the astir achy encounters is with those who person been wounded precisely by those who were expected to attraction for them, including members of the clergy," the archetypal U.S.-born pope said, according to the Reuters quality service.

"Faced with this scourge, the ecclesial assemblage is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation and an ever much determined committedness to prevention and a civilization of care," the pontiff told a gathering of Spanish bishops.

"Every wounded idiosyncratic indispensable beryllium capable to find sincere listening, welcome, extortion and existent paths to healing," helium said.

Pope Leo XIV delivers a code astatine the Congress of Deputies successful Madrid

Spanish media said the pope would talk aboriginal connected Monday with victims astatine the Vatican embassy successful Madrid, formally known arsenic the apostolic nunciature.

Ahead of the meeting, representatives of immoderate unfortunate groups complained that they were being excluded.

"We are disappointed that the pope, alternatively of listening to a sufficiently ample and coagulated practice of victims, prefers to permission america out," Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesperson for the relation Infancia Robada (Stolen Childhood), told AFP.

"We are going to support pushing until the end, insisting that the Pope has to spot us, has to perceive us, we person a voice," helium said, speaking extracurricular the nunciature.

The Vatican has said that a gathering volition instrumentality spot during the sojourn but that it would not springiness further accusation until aft it has taken spot retired of "respect for the victims."

Speaking to reporters connected the formation to Madrid connected Saturday, Leo, 70, said the ungraded of intersexual unit was "still an unfastened wound" for the Church.

Around 200,000 minors are estimated to person suffered intersexual unit by clergy successful Spain since 1940, according to a 2023 study from Spain's nationalist ombudsman.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's authorities and the Catholic Church successful Spain signed an statement successful March to compensate victims, aft years of reticence from the Church hierarchy.

Unprecedented speech

The US-born pope earlier connected Monday gave an unprecedented code to the Spanish parliament, which was welcomed with a lengthy lasting ovation from lawmakers.

The person of the world's 1.4 cardinal Catholics called for a planetary effect to the "tragic drama" of migration and said satellite bid was a "true planetary imperative."

The pope besides urged lawmakers to support beingness "from conception to its earthy end", successful a state whose left-wing authorities has legalized euthanasia nether strict conditions and wants to see termination rights successful its constitution.

He called for "safe and ineligible pathways" for migration and for migrants to beryllium fixed "a respectful invited and existent opportunities for integration".

In opposition with galore of his European allies, Sanchez has a comparatively wide migration policy.

But the authorities is nether unit connected the contented from the main blimpish Popular Party and from far-right enactment Vox, present the nation's third-largest governmental force.

The pope's seven-day sojourn to Spain volition see a travel to the Canary Islands, wherever helium volition wage tribute to the migrants who person mislaid their lives astatine oversea connected perilous journeys from Africa.

The Spanish archipelago has go 1 of the main introduction points for migrants who participate Europe without permission.

The pope, who similar Sanchez has been harshly criticized by President Trump for his anti-war views, besides called for "patient dialogue" alternatively of struggle and rearmament successful Europe and beyond.

"Weapons whitethorn enforce a impermanent soundlessness but they tin ne'er physique a genuine and lasting peace," helium said.

The code came a time aft the pope celebrated an open-air wide successful cardinal Madrid that was attended by much than 1.5 cardinal people.

On Wednesday, the pope volition bless the caller operation of the Sagrada Familia Basilica successful Barcelona -- a still-unfinished masterpiece by revered designer Antoni Gaudi that precocious became the world's tallest church.

The sojourn volition reason connected Thursday and Friday successful the Canary Islands, wherever the pope volition beryllium joined by Sanchez.

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