Pope Leo meets seven victims of abuse in Lourdes

The Pope met seven victims of abuse, first one by one, then all together. He thanked them "for their painful testimony, reiterating his commitment to ensure that the evil experienced is not repeated for others. Pope Leo expressed his closeness to them, and, through them, to those who have suffered and still suffer from the wounds of the abuse they received". Finally he hoped to "be able to work together so that the community of the faithful is increasingly a place where men and women, of all ages, can find comfort and healing". This was reported by the Vatican press office.

"We have hope that something can change", "there was something sincere about him, every word he said made sense and he appeared very emotional". This is what some of the seven victims of abuse who met the Pope in Lourdes this afternoon say about the face to face meeting with the Pontiff, in a press conference in Lourdes called this evening.