Pope Leo XIV emphasized the critical importance of listening to victims of clerical sex abuse during a meeting with cardinals from around the world. He stated that abuse remains a "wound" in the Catholic Church, with victims often experiencing further pain when their stories are not heard.

• The meeting, a closed-door consistory, involved approximately 170 cardinals at the Vatican.
• Pope Leo XIV, the US pope, made these remarks in his closing speech during his first consistory since becoming head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics in May.
• He highlighted that a key reason for scandal in the Church is when the "door has been closed" to victims.