Pope Leo, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, met with five victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Monday.
According to the Vatican, this was the Pope's first meeting with victims during his 12-day tour of South America. The American-born pontiff has commenced his official visit to three South American countries, a journey scheduled to continue until November 17.
Pope Leo has previously met with abuse survivors during other foreign visits. These engagements are described by church officials as part of sustained efforts to restore public trust following extensive sexual abuse scandals across the institution.
Clerical abuse scandals have triggered significant fallout throughout Latin America. Long considered a core stronghold of the Catholic Church, the region has seen numerous followers transition toward rapidly growing evangelical denominations in recent years.
Prior to his arrival, several survivors called for stricter church accountability, including a worldwide zero-tolerance policy against clergy facing credible accusations. Vatican officials earlier noted that establishing a unified global reporting framework remains difficult, warning that dismissing priests outright could remove them from church oversight.
Pope Leo served as a missionary in Peru for several decades before becoming pope. Some survivor groups have praised his role in dissolving the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae religious movement in Peru, which faced allegations of sexual and psychological abuse and was formally dissolved in 2025.
Source: Vatican
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