Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged French bishops to keep up the battle against the "scourge" of clerical sex abuse, after repeated accusations against the Church in recent years.
"You have faced with determination the painful scourge of abuse of minors committed by members of the clergy or within an ecclesial context," he told them during a private meeting in the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, according to a copy of his speech released to the press.
"It is important to persevere along the path you have begun, maintaining the greatest vigilance."