Pope meets abuse victims in Peru, says Church must make ‘amends’

Pope Leo leaves after leading a prayer vigil with young people during his trip to South America, returning to Peru, where he served as a missionary and later as bishop of Chiclayo, at the National Stadium in Lima on Thursday. | REUTERS

Nov 13, 2026

LIMA – Pope Leo XIV met six victims of clerical abuse in Peru on Thursday, including some linked to the once-powerful and now-disbanded Catholic society, Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.

The U.S.-born pope, who also holds Peruvian citizenship, is on a nostalgic return to the nation he calls his “homeland,” and knows the abuse scandal well from the nearly two decades he worked in Peru as a missionary and bishop.

Leo spent over an hour with the victims, meeting “each person individually, listening to their stories of suffering and their pain,” and “thanked them for their invaluable testimony,” the Vatican said.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW