Pope Says Church Sexual Abuse 'Still an Open Wound'
- On Friday, Pope Leo XIV kicked off a week-long state visit to Spain, welcomed at Madrid airport by King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez while characterizing sexual abuse within the Catholic Church as "an open wound."
- During his Canary Islands visit Thursday and Friday, the Pope honored migrants who died attempting the route from Africa, joining Sanchez amid political pressure from the Popular Party and Vox.
- Spain's national ombudsman reported in 2023 that an estimated 200,000 minors suffered abuse since 1940, with the government and Church signing a compensation agreement in March.
- Authorities deployed 15,000 police officers to secure the visit, with 400,000 attendees expected at a prayer vigil near Santiago Bernabeu stadium and nearly 1 million people predicted for tomorrow's Mass in Madrid.
- The Pope expressed concern about Ukraine as Russia's invasion enters its fifth year, with the trip also including a scheduled blessing of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona.
45 Articles
45 Articles
For years, sexual abuse has remained silent in Spain's Catholic Church - many still accuse her of cover-up. Victims hope Leo XIV will put pressure on his visit. By H.-G. Waiter.
During the visit of Pope Leo XIV in Spain, King Philip VI spoke on one of the most sensitive issues for the Catholic Church in condemning the abuses committed by members of the clergy. Philip VI recognized the social work carried out by the church in Spain, but stressed that nothing contrasts more with this task than the suffering caused by cases of sexual abuse around the world. Philip VI condemns abuses of the Catholic Church on the visit of L…
Victims of abuse in the Church have been disenchanted by King Philip VI's mention of "pain" for abuses within the Catholic Church, the first time that the head of state, who has also said that "they are not representative of the whole institution", mentions this matter.
The monarch receives Leo XIV in the Royal Palace and praises the ecclesial social work before the political leadership, in an unprecedented milestone about the disasters.
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