Fact check
“Pope Leo XIV will meet privately with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse”
Reasoning
The France 24 article reports that Pope Leo XIV, during his visit to Lourdes, is scheduled to celebrate an open‑air mass and then meet privately with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse. This matches the claim word‑for‑word.
On confidence: The claim is directly supported by a primary news source that explicitly states the Pope will meet privately with seven survivors.
Important context
The meeting is part of the Pope's itinerary for the Lourdes pilgrimage and is presented as a planned, upcoming event.
Evidence
Supporting (1)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourcePope Leo visits Lourdes pilgrimage site - France 24
of the Catholic Church’s major pilgrimage sites. He is the third pope to visit Lourdes, following Benedict XVI and John Paul II. On Sunday, the pontiff is due to celebrate another open-air mass before meeting privately with seven survivors…
Limitations
The evidence is limited to a single news report; no additional sources were provided to confirm the meeting took place or any changes to the schedule.
- Last verified:
- Sep 27, 2026, 8:22 AM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 2.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
Pope Leo visits Lourdes pilgrimage siteFrance 24 · FRANCE24