{"id":2612060,"date":"2026-06-08T14:58:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T18:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pope-leo-says-catholic-sexual-abuse-scandals-scourge-to-vatican\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T15:01:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T19:01:38","slug":"pope-leo-says-catholic-sexual-abuse-scandals-scourge-to-vatican","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pope-leo-says-catholic-sexual-abuse-scandals-scourge-to-vatican\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo says Catholic sexual abuse scandals &#8216;scourge&#8217; to Vatican"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpope-leo-says-catholic-sexual-abuse-scandals-scourge-to-vatican%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2612060&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Pope Leo XIV condemned sexual abuse by Catholic Church officials who held authority and urged responses centered on listening, truth, justice, reparation, prevention, and a renewed \u201cculture of care.\u201d He told Spain\u2019s bishops that harming victims within the clergy\u2019s role is among the most painful encounters and said every wounded person should be able to access protection and paths to healing.  <\/p>\n<p>The article notes that allegations of systematic cover-ups have persisted for years. It points to criticism of Pope Leo XIV, including claims that he helped conceal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-kelly-calls-for-allys-resignation-following-child-sex-abuse-charges\/\" title=\"Mark Kelly Calls for Ally\u2019s Resignation Following Child Sex Abuse Charges\">child sex crimes<\/a> while he was bishop in Peru, though he is described as the first American pope. Survivors and advocates argue accountability is necessary to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/malicious-smears-china-rejects-hacking-claims-as-fabricated-after-biden-admin-blames-ccp-for-microsoft-cyber-attack\/\" title=\"\u2018Malicious Smears\u2019: China Rejects Hacking Claims As \u2018Fabricated\u2019 After Biden Admin Blames CCP For Microsoft Cyber-Attack\">prevent future abuse<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p>It also <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >cites multiple country-specific investigations<\/a> and reports-covering the U.S., Pennsylvania, France, Australia, and Ireland-that described widespread abuse and, in manny cases, institutional failures or misconduct aimed at avoiding scandal rather than addressing crimes, with relatively limited disciplinary or criminal consequences.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pope-leo-xiv\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11789\">Pope Leo XIV<\/a> on Monday condemned sexual abusers holding positions of authority in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/catholic-church\/\">Catholic Church<\/a>, expressing support for reparation for victims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/catholic-church\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2001\">Catholic Church<\/a> has for decades faced investigations concluding it systematically turned a blind eye to thousands of child sex predators operating globally as priests and in other capacities within the Vatican\u2019s network. This week, the pope acknowledged concerns, telling Spain\u2019s Catholic bishops that one of the \u201cmost painful encounters is with those who have been wounded precisely \u200bby those who were supposed to care for them, including members of the clergy.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4598964\/homan-anti-ice-protesters-delaney-hall-new-jersey\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Homan says most anti-ICE protesters at New Jersey\u2019s Delaney Hall are not state residents<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4598988\/joe-concha-karmelo-anthony-austin-metcalf-murder-case\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018I just don\u2019t see the out here\u2019: Joe Concha on Karmelo Anthony trial<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4597153\/illinois-democrats-glock-ncla\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Illinois Democrats eye Glock ban despite backlash from Second Amendment advocates over existing state regulations<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFaced 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,\u201d Leo told bishops, following a 2023 report by Spain\u2019s human rights ombudsman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/spain-catholic-church-sexual-abuse-clergy-3544eff34663581c46b2fea110d31256\">that indicated <\/a>around 440,000 people in the country were sexually abused in the Catholic Church as children. \u201cEvery wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection, and real paths to healing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leo, the \u2060first American pope, has attracted some accusations that he helped to cover up child sex crimes during his tenure as bishop of Chiclayo in Peru. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests has expressed concern that he played a role in covering up how clerics accused of sexual assault were allowed to continue their roles in the Catholic Church, including granting an honorable discharge to a priest who confessed to abusing three children,<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/pope-leo-xiv\/2025\/12\/04\/victims-call-for-investigation-of-pope-leo-xiv-amid-new-evidence-of-role-in-sexual-abuse-cover-up-in-peru\"> according to <\/a>the <em>Chicago Sun Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe cannot have another pope in this institutional system who has covered up child sex crimes,\u201d SNAP founder Peter Isely, a survivor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-legacy-of-vatican-ii-is-not-what-george-weigel-thinks-it-is\/\" title=\"The Legacy Of Vatican II Is Not What George Weigel Thinks It Is\">clerical sexual abuse<\/a> from Wisconsin, said in December. \u201cI\u2019ve been at this 35 years, and the only way things change is when there are consequences and accountability. \u2026 We don\u2019t want this to happen to another child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Catholic Church has faced reports that members of the church engaged in acts of pedophilia worldwide for years. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the United States, the John Jay Report<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dioceseofcleveland.org\/files\/resources\/john-jay-study-2004.pdf\"> stated in 2004<\/a> that between 10,667 abuse allegations were reported against 4,392 priests, a total of 4% in the ministry, between 1950 and 2002. The landmark investigation followed a 2002 <em>Boston Globe<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/news\/special-reports\/2002\/01\/06\/church-allowed-abuse-priest-for-years\/cSHfGkTIrAT25qKGvBuDNM\/story.html\">investigative series<\/a>, which found the Vatican often protected abusive priests by reassigning them and settling with victims to keep incidents from public scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such accusations have continued, including in Pennsylvania, where then-attorney general Josh Shapiro in 2018<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/predator-priests-identified-grand-jury-report-pennsylvania-priest-abuse\/\"> released the results<\/a> of a two-year inquiry finding that hundreds of Catholic Church officials molested up to thousands of children in the state over the span of several decades, and then engaged in a \u201csophisticated\u201d cover-up to protect abusers. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pope Leo XIV shakes hands outside the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Spain, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Manu Fernandez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In France, an independent investigation <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2021\/oct\/05\/french-catholic-priests-abused-children-report\">released in 2021<\/a> estimated 330,000 minors, mostly young boys, were abused by up to 3,200 leaders in the Catholic Church from 1950 to 2020. Only a handful of cases prompted disciplinary action under canonical law, let alone criminal prosecution, according to the French Independent Commission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Australia, a five-year <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/7-percent-of-australias-catholic-priests-accused-of-sexually-abusing-children\">public inquiry<\/a> released in 2017 found 7% of priests in the country\u2019s Catholic Church were accused of sexually abusing children between 1950 and 2010. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au\/case-study\/261be84b-bec0-4440-b294-57d3e7de1234\/case-study-50,-february-2017,-sydney\">report<\/a> from Australia\u2019s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse indicated that at least 4,444 children were sexually abused at more than 1,000 Catholic institutions between 1980 and 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTens of thousands of children have been sexually abused in many Australian institutions. We will never know the true number,\u201d the report <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-australia-42361874\">said<\/a>. \u201cIt is not a case of a few \u2018rotten apples\u2019. Society\u2019s major institutions have seriously failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4571643\/pope-leo-6-7-trend-for-children\/\"><strong>POPE LEO DOES \u20186-7\u2019 TREND FOR CHILDREN AT THE VATICAN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Ireland, two separate investigations released in 2009 detailed sweeping accusations that the Vatican and police colluded to hide sex crimes against children for years. The 700-page Murphy Report <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/11\/27\/world\/europe\/27ireland.html\">said<\/a> the Catholic Church was concerned only with \u201cthe maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church, and the preservation of its assets.\u201d One priest admitted to abusing more than 100 children, while another said he had abused, on average, a child every two weeks for 25 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/05\/21\/world\/europe\/21ireland.html\"> Ryan report<\/a> found that thousands of Irish children were sexually abused by Catholic authorities for over 60 years in a network of church-run residential schools and institutions meant to care for the poor and the vulnerable. In the boys\u2019 schools, sexual abuse was \u201cendemic,\u201d and about half of all witnesses who testified to the Ryan commission\u2019s confidential committee<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2009\/WORLD\/europe\/05\/20\/ireland.catholic.report.abuse\/\"> said <\/a>they were sexually abused.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pope Leo XIV condemns church officials who sexually abused children<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2612061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26159344593109.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33551,69299,55381,81027,9367],"class_list":["post-2612060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-catholic-church","tag-church-accountability","tag-pope-leo","tag-sexual-abuse-scandal","tag-vatican"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26159344593109.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2612060"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612064,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612060\/revisions\/2612064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2612061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2612060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2612060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2612060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}