Pope Leo XIV held a surprise meeting with abuse survivors in Madrid to address the ongoing clergy sexual abuse crisis during his visit to Spain.The Pope urged Spanish bishops to adopt a culture of care and justice for victims following reports estimating 500,000 cases of abuse since 1940.Advocacy groups staged protests demanding greater accountability and concrete legal reforms after expressing dissatisfaction with the current reparations program.The Pope defended the secrecy of the confessional seal as essential for religious freedom while declining to meet with former members of
Opus Dei.