Pope Leo denounces what he calls "scourge" of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy

World Pope Leo denounces what he calls "scourge" of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy June 8, 2026 / 7:31 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google Pope Leo XIV on Monday denounced the "scourge" of sexual violence by Catholic clergy and called for a "culture of care" in the Church ahead of an expected private meeting with victims in Spain. "One of the most painful encounters is with those who have been wounded precisely by those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy," the first U.S.-born pope said, according to the Reuters news service."Faced with this scourge, the ecclesial community is called to respond with listening, truth, justice, reparation and an ever more determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care," the pontiff told a gathering of Spanish bishops. "Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing," he said. Pope Leo XIV delivers a speech during a joint session of the Spanish Parliament at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, Spain on June 8, 2026. Ciro de Luca/Pool via REUTERS Ciro de Luca / Pool via REUTERS Spanish media said the pope would speak later on Monday with victims at the Vatican embassy in Madrid, formally known as the apostolic nunciature. Ahead of the meeting, representatives of some victim groups complained that they were being excluded. "We are disappointed that the pope, instead of listening to a sufficiently large and solid representation of victims, prefers to leave us out," Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesman for the association Infancia Robada (Stolen Childhood), told AFP. "We are going to keep pushing until the end, insisting that the Pope has to see us, has to hear us, we have a voice," he said, speaking outside the nunciature. The Vatican has said that a meeting will take place during the visit but that it would not give further information until after it has taken place out of "respect for the victims."Speaking to reporters on the flight to Mad...