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Pope Leo Heads to France as Church Faces Fallout From Abuse Crisis

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Pope Leo will travel to France on Friday for a four-day, three-city visit, marking the first formal papal visit to the country in nearly 20 years. The trip comes five years after a major French report on child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, which found that about 330,000 children had been abused by clergy and lay Church officials over seven decades.

During his visit, Leo is expected to meet seven survivors of abuse in Lourdes and address the Church’s response to the scandal. He will also celebrate an outdoor Mass near Paris, where around 600,000 people have registered, and visit the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The first US-born pope is also expected to discuss artificial intelligence, Europe’s future and peace. His itinerary includes meetings with French leaders, an address at UNESCO and a speech in Metz focused on Europe’s roots, peace and unity. The visit to Lourdes will also draw attention to allegations surrounding priest and artist Marko Rupnik, whose mosaics at the sanctuary have been ordered covered during the pope’s visit.

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Vatican Excommunicates SSPX Bishops and Warns Followers Over Growing Church Schism

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The Vatican has formally excommunicated the six bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a conservative Catholic group, after it consecrated four new bishops despite direct instructions from Pope Leo XIV not to do so. In an unprecedented move, the Vatican also declared that lay members who formally adhere to the group’s teachings and regularly participate in its religious activities may also be considered excommunicated, while inviting those who leave the society to return to the Catholic Church.

Founded in 1970, the SSPX rejects many of the reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council, including celebrating Mass in local languages instead of Latin and other modern changes within the Roman Catholic Church. The group, which has an estimated 600,000 followers worldwide, maintains traditional practices and opposes the Church’s increased dialogue with other Christian denominations and other faiths. It has a significant presence in countries including the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

The Vatican clarified that not every SSPX member would automatically be excommunicated, but those who consistently participate in its services and publicly support its doctrinal positions would be regarded as being in schism with the Church. Excommunication is one of the Church’s most severe penalties, preventing individuals from receiving sacraments and fully participating in Catholic life. The latest decision marks a major setback in years of efforts to reconcile the Vatican with the traditionalist movement.

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