Church leaders must listen to abuse victims, pope says
Every level of Church leadership must strengthen and improve its ability to listen to everyone, especially to victims of sexual abuse and those who suffer, Pope Leo XIV said. His remarks came at the conclusion of the extraordinary consistory Jan. 7-8.
The problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church “is truly a wound in the life of the Church in many places,” and “we cannot close our eyes or our hearts” to the crisis and its victims, he said at the conclusion of an extraordinary meeting with the world’s cardinals at the Vatican.
“I encourage you to share this with your bishops: often the pain of the victims has been made worse by the fact that they were not welcomed and listened to,” he said Jan. 8. The Vatican published the remarks on Jan. 10.
“The abuse itself causes a deep wound that may last a lifetime, but often the scandal in the Church is because the door was closed and the victims were not welcomed and accompanied by authentic pastors,” he said.
And so, he said, “listening is profoundly important” in this and all areas. “Formation in listening, formation in a spirituality of listening” is needed in seminaries, “but also for bishops” and all levels of church leadership, including laypeople working for the Church.
This article was written by Carol Glatz for Catholic News Service.
Featured image: Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican with cardinals gathered for his first extraordinary consistory Jan. 8, 2026. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
