Society News

Pope Leo will meet abuse survivors in South America, but victims in Argentina want more

The Vatican said on Tuesday, October 27, that Pope Leo XIV will hold several meetings with victims of abuse by clergy and other Church members during his 11-day trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, scheduled for November 6 to 17. Reuters copy carried by ThePrint described the tour as one of the most intense foreign trips by a pope in decades, noting that Leo, 71, is recovering from lung cancer surgery and was cleared to travel by his doctor.

“Several meetings are planned with people who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church.” — Vatican statement, via ThePrint

The Buenos Aires Times, using AFP copy, reported that the Vatican did not say where or with whom the meetings would take place. It recalled that Pope Francis ordered the Peru-based movement Sodalitium Christianae Vitae closed a week before his death in 2025, and that the Vatican announced compensation plans for its victims in April. It added that critics say victims still face retaliation from Church leaders for speaking out. Last month in France, according to ThePrint, Leo met seven victims for two hours.

Two days later, The Hindu reported that the Argentina visit has brought renewed scrutiny of clergy abuse scandals, with victims frustrated over the Vatican's silence on church proceedings involving priests already convicted in criminal courts.

How each outlet framed it

• ThePrint — the announcement, the pope's health and the demanding schedule.
• Buenos Aires Times — the missing details and the Sodalitium case in Peru.
• The Hindu — victims' frustration in Argentina over church proceedings.

What we don't know yet: which countries the meetings will take place in, and whether the Vatican will address the church cases of convicted priests.