Pope Leo to meet survivors of abuse by clergy in Latin America, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY, Oct 27 (Reuters) – Pope Leo will meet with survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy during his November 6 to 17 three-country tour of South America, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Leo, who is recovering from lung cancer surgery, will visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru on one of the most intense foreign trips taken by a pope in decades, after being deemed fit for the journey by his doctor on Monday.

“Several meetings are planned with people who have been victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church,” the Vatican said in its Tuesday statement.

“These meetings reflect the pope’s desire to express his closeness to those who have suffered, and who still suffer, because of this violence,” it said.

Leo, 71, has held meetings with survivors of abuse by clergy on several of his foreign visits, including in France last month.

In that encounter, the pope met for two hours with seven French victims and reaffirmed his commitment to ending abuse of children by Catholic priests, the Vatican said afterwards.

Leo, originally from the US, served as a missionary and bishop in Peru for decades before becoming pope.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, editing by Gavin Jones, Alexandra Hudson)

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