Pope Leão XIV Faces Protests Over Excluded Abuse Groups During Spain Visit

Overview

• The pope, who arrived in Spain on Saturday, has a private meeting scheduled with victims of clerical sexual abuse that several independent survivor associations say excluded them and will prompt protests outside the Nunciature.
• The Vatican says it will keep the session private to protect survivors and will publish a summary after the meeting, a stance that survivors say does not address long-standing complaints about Church-controlled selection and representation.
• Large public events have drawn huge crowds and intense coverage, including a Madrid Mass attended by organizers at about 1.2 million people and public vigils, under a security operation of roughly 15,000 police and more than 4,000 accredited journalists.
• Spain and the bishops set up a government-backed reparations program in March that gives victims one year to apply, has received about 420 applications so far, and leaves final payment decisions to the government.
• Beyond abuse accountability, the pope has used the visit to press for less polarization, call abuse 'a wound still open', denounce the idea of a 'just war' in Iran, and urge renewed negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.