Pope Leo XIV will meet with seven victims of clerical sexual abuse during his official visit to France on September 27, 2026, according to reports from The Hindu International and France 24. The meeting is scheduled for the day after the pope led an open-air mass for hundreds of thousands of worshippers in Paris and prayed at the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, a major Catholic pilgrimage site. The pope’s visit marks the first official papal visit to France in nearly two decades, highlighting the country’s deep Catholic roots despite its secular nature.

The meeting with victims is part of the pope’s broader efforts to reform the Church following the global sexual abuse scandal. A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as minors in France over the span of 70 years. Among the victims who will meet the pope is a former pupil of the Notre-Dame de Bétharram institution, a boarding school in southwestern France at the centre of widespread accusations of physical and sexual abuse over decades. The pope has promised to further efforts to reform the Church in the wake of the scandal.

During his visit, Pope Leo XIV also led an enthusiastic mass at Paris’s Place de la Concorde, where a giant white canopy was erected as a makeshift altar. Around 800,000 people gathered for the event, with attendees expressing a mix of religious devotion and personal connection to the pope. Aline Riziki, a 41-year-old woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said she had dropped everything to attend the mass, hoping to pray for peace in her homeland, which has been plagued by conflict for decades. Jeanne de Montagnac, 29, brought her two-year-old daughter to the event, emphasizing the importance of the moment for her family.

The pope’s visit comes seven months before France’s presidential election, with the far-right surging and immigration a key issue. During his time in Lourdes, the pope prayed to the Virgin Mary, asking for leaders who would promote fundamental human rights and peace, rejecting the mentality of war. Macron, the incumbent president, did not attend the mass but was represented by his wife, Brigitte Macron, who praised the visit on X. The pope also met with migrants at Maison Bakhita, an association supporting refugees, and emphasized the importance of living together in dignity and peace.

The pope’s visit to Lourdes, one of the most important Catholic holy sites in the world, is part of a broader effort to address the Church’s past failures. The sanctuary receives three million pilgrims annually, with Catholics crediting it with miraculous healings. The visit is expected to boost the local economy, though no official figures have been released. The pope’s meeting with abuse victims is a significant step in addressing the Church’s historical misconduct, though details on the nature of the meeting and the victims’ experiences remain unclear.

What remains unknown is the specific nature of the meeting between the pope and the victims, the extent of the Church’s reforms, and the long-term impact of the visit on France’s political and religious landscape. The pope’s efforts to address the abuse scandal will be closely watched, particularly as France prepares for a pivotal presidential election. The visit underscores the ongoing challenges facing the Catholic Church in reconciling its past with its present role in society.