Pope meets five clerical abuse victims in Argentina

Pope Leo XIV met on Monday with five victims of clerical abuse in Argentina and vowed to strengthen protection measures within the Catholic Church, the Vatican said.

"The Pope spoke with each of them individually, listening to their accounts, the painful experiences they had endured, and their suggestions for strengthening paths toward healing within the Church," the Vatican said.

The meeting came during Leo's tour of South America and amid criticism from a network of clergy abuse survivors in Argentina who accused the Church of failing to deliver on its promises of "zero tolerance."

Cases of sexual abuse by priests and cover-ups have rocked the Catholic Church around the world.

The victims who met the Pope had suffered abuse at the hands of members of the clergy or within ecclesial institutions in Argentina, the Vatican said, without specifying when or where the abuse took place.

"To them – and, through them, to other victims whom it was not possible to meet – the Pope conveyed his closeness and his commitment to strengthening measures for protection, well-being, welcome, and accompaniment within the Church," the Vatican said.

The meeting lasted more than an hour.

On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV will visit Córdoba province, where the public prosecutor’s office is investigating several allegations against the priest Alejandro Nicola concerning alleged sexual abuse in 2025 at the nursery of a Catholic school.

The local Church has launched a preliminary investigation into the allegations. Despite the accusations, Nicola was seen in July celebrating Mass at Córdoba Cathedral, where the Pope will be visiting.

In September, Argentian's courts sentenced a former nun to 20 years’ imprisonment for her involvement in the case of the Antonio Próvolo Institute, a Catholic boarding school for children with hearing impairments in the province of Mendoza.

The case, which came to light around ten years ago and shocked the country, revealed that dozens of children had suffered sexual abuse over several decades.

– TIMES/AFP