{
  "id": 10185075,
  "title": "Pope to meet victims of clerical sex abuse on France trip",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/pope-to-meet-victims-of-clerical-sex-abuse-on-france-trip-10185075",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-27T09:50:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/pope-to-meet-victims-of-clerical-sex-abuse-on-france-trip/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Pope Leo XIV is on a four-day official visit to France, the first papal trip in nearly two decades. He arrived in Lourdes on Saturday evening and met believers on his way to mass on Sunday.\n\nThe Pope is set to meet victims of clerical sex abuse in Lourdes. According to Le Monde English, he is scheduled to meet with seven survivors of sexual abuse. A 2021 inquiry found that clergy or lay members of the Church had abused about 330,000 people as minors in France over 70 years.\n\nOne of the victims, Domitille Bardoul, 26, expressed her support for the meeting, saying it's \"very beautiful that the pope is going to listen to them\" and that it's a way of acknowledging that every possible measure is being taken to prevent abuse. The meeting with victims comes as the Church faces criticism for its handling of the abuse scandal, with some associations denouncing a step backwards despite efforts by French bishops to acknowledge the systemic nature of the abuse.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Pope to meet with victims of clerical sex abuse during France trip",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/pope-to-meet-with-victims-of-clerical-sex-abuse-during-france-trip",
        "published": "2026-09-27T08:03:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Pope to meet clerical sex abuse victims during landmark France trip",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/pope-to-meet-clerical-sex-abuse-victims-during-landmark-france-trip",
        "published": "2026-09-27T08:07:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Local France",
        "title": "Pope to meet victims of clerical sex abuse on France trip",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/pope-to-meet-victims-of-clerical-sex-abuse-on-france-trip",
        "published": "2026-09-27T09:14:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Pope to meet victims of clerical sex abuse on France trip",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/pope-to-meet-victims-of-clerical-sex-abuse-on-france-trip-10181948",
        "published": "2026-09-27T09:32:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "The week in pictures: Trump hosts Xi, the pope visits France and floods ravage Thailand",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/the-week-in-pictures-trump-hosts-xi-the-pope-visits-france-and-floods",
        "published": "2026-09-27T10:05:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}