Pope meets survivors of clergy abuse in Argentina as it reckons with legacy and ongoing cases

Buenos Aires Pope Leo XIV met survivors of clergy abuse on Monday (November 9, 2026) during his visit to Argentina, a country that has been reckoning with the Catholic Church's legacy of sex abuse and cover-up, including in cases in which the Argentine Pope Francis intervened. The Vatican said Pope Leo spent about an hour meeting individually, and then as a group, with five victims of abuse by clergy and “church institutions” who were chosen by the local church.

The meeting took place before Pope Leo left for an event at the Catholic University of Argentina. Pope Leo listened to their “painful stories and proposals to consolidate paths of healing in the church,” said a statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.

Acknowledging that there were other groups of victims who had wanted to meet with Pope Leo, “the pope expressed his closeness and desire to reinforce paths of protection, of welcome and accompaniment in the church,” it said.