Pope says 'scourge' of abuse must be rooted out as he visits Lourdes
Pope Leo spoke to bishops before leading a service attended by thousands of worshippers in France.
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Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered to hear the Pope speak during a four-day visit to France
Pope Leo has called on French bishops to root out the "scourge" of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church, urging them to "maintain the greatest vigilance".
The Pope delivered the message to bishops during a private meeting at the Sanctuary of Our Holy Lady of Lourdes, a holy site in southern France, on the third day of his four-day official visit to France.
A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as children in France over 70 years.
The Pope said Mass in front of thousands of worshippers in Lourdes before later meeting survivors of abuse.
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