Pope Francis

Pope Francis has called on the Catholic Church to acknowledge and confront its failings as it prepares for a meeting with survivors of clerical sexual abuse. The appeal comes ahead of the encounter, which is expected to focus on accountability and support for victims, and has drawn attention to the Church's ongoing reckoning with its handling of abuse scandals worldwide.

Pope Francis met with victims of sexual abuse and called for 'wise leaders' to take responsibility, comments coming as France prepares for an upcoming presidential election. The meeting and his remarks have drawn attention for linking moral leadership to the political moment, with observers weighing what influence his words may carry on voters.

Pope Francis brought a message on protecting life to the French shrine of Lourdes, a Marian pilgrimage site famous for reported miraculous healings. The visit ties the Vatican's defence-of-life teaching to one of Catholicism's most venerated places of prayer, drawing attention from Catholics worldwide and renewing focus on Lourdes' tradition of pilgrimage and claimed cures.

Pope Francis has urged priests and religious in France to embrace a missionary conversion, calling on them to renew their commitment to evangelisation as the Church faces declining numbers across the country. The appeal, reported by Vatican News, frames the French Church's future around outreach rather than maintenance, with emphasis on parishes rethinking how they serve their communities.

Pope Francis met with the bishops of France in the Sainte-Bernadette hemicycle of the Lourdes sanctuary. The gathering opened with a prayer and a hymn to the Holy Spirit before the Pope addressed the French episcopate. The meeting is being followed closely in France, where Lourdes remains the country's most important Catholic pilgrimage site.