During his apostolic journey to Spain, the afternoon of June 8th was marked by one of the most significant institutional and human moments on the papal agenda. At the Apostolic Nunciature in Madrid, Pope Leo XIV held a private meeting with six victims of abuse committed by members of the clergy and the Church in Spain.

The meeting, which was reported by the Holy See Press Office through its official channels, lasted for almost an hour. The victims did not attend alone; they were accompanied by Church personnel who work directly in providing support and assistance to those affected at the local level.

Proposals born from pain

Far from being a mere formality, the meeting was structured as a space for technical and personal dialogue. According to the Holy See, each participant spoke based on their own painful personal experiences. However, the central focus of the discussions turned toward the future: the attendees offered the Pope concrete proposals aimed at drastically increasing the effectiveness of the Church’s response to what the statement itself describes as “tragic cases.”

For his part, Leo XIV listened to the testimonies “with affection and attention,” guaranteeing the participants both his personal closeness and that of the entire ecclesial community.

The commitment to a “safe place”

The strategic value of the meeting lies in the future application of the issues discussed in Madrid. The Holy See has confirmed the Pope’s explicit commitment to ensuring that the proposals received firsthand will serve as the basis for the institution’s future efforts.

The ultimate goal conveyed by the Pope is to ensure that the Church can be verifiably established as “a safe and spiritually healthy place where wounds find comfort and healing.” The event marks a critical milestone in the agenda of a visit that continues in the coming hours to the IFEMA convention center and Barcelona.