Pope Leo XIV told Catholic bishops in Spain on Monday that the church must listen to abuse victims and offer them reparations.
The meeting with Catholic bishops is the latest stop in the pope’s week-long tour of Spain. It is his first trip to a European Union member outside of Italy.
Leo on abuse: Spain’s Catholic Church must commit to prevention and ‘culture of care’
A report released by Spain’s human rights ombudsman in 2023 found that the Spanish clergy had sexually abused 200,000 children. The CEE apologized for the abuse but disputed figures cited in that report.
“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,” Leo said in an address to the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE).
“Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection and real paths to healing,” Leo said.
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The Spanish government and the Catholic Church earlier this year signed a deal to provide compensation to the victims of sexual abuse in church-run institutions.
Leo meets with 6 Catholic Church sex abuse survivors
The pope also met with six survivors who experienced sexual abuse by the church.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope listened to the survivors with “affection and attention.”
Some organizations representing survivors held a demo outside the Vatican’s embassy in Madrid and said they were not informed about the meeting.
“Our associations are pleased that a group of victims from the reparation plan can be heard by the pope, but they do not represent all victims, and deep down they are being used by the church, by the bishops conference, to clean up the ts victims,” Juan Cuatrecasas, spokesperson for the Robbed Childhood organization, said.
The sexual abuse scandal comes as fewer Spaniards are identifying as Catholic. In the 1970’s, 90% of Spaniards identified as Catholic, whereas in 2025 only 55% put that as their religious affiliation.
Leo becomes first-ever pope to address Spanish parliament
Leo on Monday also addressed Spain’s parliament where he touched on topics such as migrants, international law, rearmament and artificial intelligence.
The historic address, which received a seven-minute-long standing ovation from lawmakers, was the first-ever to the Spanish parliament by the leader of the Catholic Church.
“The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile,” Leo said.
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Leo said the “tragic drama of migration” is an issue which “challenges the conscience of nations.” He urged “safe and legal pathways” for immigration while also advocating for “real opportunities for integration.”
Frustration around the issue of migration has caused polling for far-right parties to surge in European countries such as Germany, France and the UK.
Spain, under leftist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, meanwhile, has taken a more compassionate approach and backed an amnesty plan for undocumented migrants.
Pope touches on Iran-Israel war, rearmament, militarized AI
The pope also called for “diplomatic courage” to resolve the the US-Israel war with Iran and emphasized “the obligation of states to resolve their disputes thorugh the peaceful means offered by international law.”
The US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28. Iran and Israel traded strikes over the past day with the conflict also reigniting tensions between Israel and Lebanese Iran-backed paramilitary organization Hezbollah.
In his parliamentary address, Leo highlighted the dangers of global rearmament due to uncertainty and conflict, with many European countries such as Germany and others upping defense spending in light of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“It is therefore a cause for concern that, in various parts of the world — and in Europe as well — rearmament is once again being presented as an almost inevitable response to the fragility of the international situation,” Leo said.
The pontiff warned of the risks of militarized AI and urged “rigorous ethical vigilance” regarding its wartime use.
AI companies such as Palantir and Helsing provide software which allow militaries to make sophisticated targeting decisions on the battlefield.
The International Committee for the Red Cross has warned of limitations when it comes to AI and that it could endanger civilians during wartime. The Washington, DC-based Brookings Institution has said that unchecked AI could trigger a nuclear war.
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Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
