Pope writes to French Bishops on education, abuse, and liturgy
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Pope Leo XIV sends a message to the French Bishops’ Conference for its Spring Plenary Assembly in Lourdes, encouraging the Bishops to defend Catholic education, remain steadfast in confronting abuse, and reflect on ways to welcome communities attached to the Vetus Ordo.
Sanctuary of Lourdes (AFP or licensors)
At the opening of their Spring Plenary Assembly, the Bishops of France were greeted by Pope Leo XIV in a message signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
Education, abuse and liturgy formed the three central themes of the letter addressed to the bishops. These same themes will guide their discussions over four days at the Marian shrine in Lourdes.
Defending Catholic education
Amid ongoing public concern over recent abuse scandals in educational institutions, Pope Leo XIV acknowledged “a climate of growing hostility,' but urges perseverance in defending Catholic education.
In particular, he called for its Christian identity—its very “raison d’être”—to be safeguarded “with determination,” while continuing to promote openness and respect for the convictions of all.
Abuse: mercy for all
The second issue the Bishops are addressing is the abuse of minors. The Church in France has carried out sustained efforts to confront the crisis, especially since the creation of the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) on February 8, 2019, just weeks before the Vatican meeting convened by Pope Francis.
At that meeting, Pope Francis had stressed the Church’s “duty to listen attentively” to the “stifled, silent cry” of victims.
Echoing this, Pope Leo called on the French Bishops to continue listening to and caring for victims, highlighting the need for long-term prevention measures and for extending God’s mercy to all.
On this point, the Pope added that “priests guilty of abuse should not be excluded from this mercy, but should be the subject of your pastoral reflection.”
At the same time, he offered the Bishops words of encouragement and renewed his trust in them, acknowledging that many have been “deeply affected” by the consequences of abuse committed by some of their fellow clergy.
Liturgy and the Tridentine Mass
Finally, the Pope addressed an issue to which he is “particularly attentive”: the growing number of communities attached to the Vetus Ordo (the celebration of the Mass in Latin according to the liturgy in use before the Second Vatican Council).
In this regard, Pope Leo XIV expressed concern that this situation could open “a painful wound within the Church regarding the celebration of the Mass,” which he described as “the very sacrament of unity.”
If the Church is a mother who cares for her children, he said, she must heal wounds and learn to look upon others “with renewed understanding and greater sensitivity.'
He therefore invites the Bishops, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to seek “concrete solutions” that will generously include those sincerely attached to the Vetus Ordo, while remaining faithful to the directions of the Second Vatican Council.
Clear signs of hope
While acknowledging the “difficult times” facing the Church, Pope Leo XIV also pointed to “signs of hope and of God’s presence in people’s hearts.” One such sign is the significant rise in the number of catechumens over the past ten years.
The number of candidates who will receive baptism at the Easter Vigil on April 4 will be announced shortly by the French Bishops’ Conference, but the upward trend appears set to continue into 2026. There were 17,800 catechumens in 2025, and the figure could exceed 20,000 this year.
This reflects a renewed spiritual interest, though one that must be seen in the wider context of more than two decades of declining baptism requests.
Jean-Charles Putzolu