Pope Leo XIV Letter French Bishops Lourdes Holiness Youth Abuse Victims November 3 2026

A little more than a month after Pope Leo XIV visited France, the bishops of France sat in the same Lourdes auditorium where they had welcomed him on 27 September, and listened to his letter read aloud. The letter, dated 1 November, thanked them for helping make his Apostolic Journey "an unforgettable experience," Vatican News reports. The autumn plenary assembly opened on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, with an address by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the French Bishops' Conference, followed by the reading of the Pope's letter.

"Bishops and faithful, as well as civil and religious authorities and believers and nonbelievers alike, all put their skills to use to make those days an unforgettable experience," Pope Leo wrote, Vatican News reports. He invited the bishops to reflect on the pastoral fruits of the visit, which concluded on 28 September, CathoNews reports. The assembly runs from 3 to 8 November, CathoNews reports.

Pope Leo XIV French Bishops Catholic Education Common Good

On education, Pope Leo wrote that respect for everyone's freedom of conscience "holds the promise of great fruitfulness for society and for the Church herself," Vatican News reports. He added that Catholic education "cannot abandon its Christ-centered educational mission, which seeks the integral development of the human person in every dimension: spiritual, cultural, intellectual, moral, and social," Vatican News reports.

Reflecting on challenges he saw firsthand during his visit to France, the Pope recalled the need to form men and women in the values of the Gospel, "mindful of respect for the common good," whom society needs "to confront the crises tearing it apart," Vatican News reports. The letter gives no seperate list of those crises, and this article does not invent one.

"It is important to listen to younger generations, including their sense of unease, and to encourage them, through sound formation, to make a sincere commitment, including in politics," the Pope wrote, Vatican News reports. His appeal comes as many young people, including high school and university students, have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest, in particular, their lack of prospects for the future, Vatican News reports. CathoNews reports the same context, that students have protested in recent weeks over their lack of prospects.

Pope Leo XIV Saints Catechumens Adult Baptisms France

Echoing his words at the vigil with young people at the Stade de France on 25 September, the Pope urged the French bishops to follow in the footsteps of the saints, "those witnesses who have marked the history of France," Vatican News reports. He wrote that the saints, through the diversity of their backgrounds and their witness, "make holiness accessible to everyone," Vatican News reports.

"Knowledge of the saints of yesterday and today is a source of strength for the spiritual life," the Pope stressed, Vatican News reports. "Do not hesitate to familiarize your faithful, especially catechumens and neophytes, with these friends in heaven," he urged. The Pope asked for special attention to the formation of catechumens, given the recent rise in adult baptisms in France, CathoNews reports, although neither source read for this article gives a number for that rise, so no figure is stated here.

Pope Leo XIV Abuse Victims Lourdes Letter November 2026

The final part of the letter focused on supporting victims of sexual abuse in the Church, whom Pope Leo took time to meet on the afternoon of 26 September during his Apostolic Visit to France, Vatican News reports. The tragedy of abuse remains one of the issues being addressed at the bishops' plenary assembly, Vatican News reports. No detail about the 26 September meeting, beyond the fact that it took place, is given in either source, and none is added here.

"Because holiness entails charity in truth, I encourage you, guided by these two virtues, to continue your work of accompanying victims of sexual violence and coercive control," the Pope wrote, Vatican News reports. "It is essential that the community of the faithful become ever more a place where men and women of all ages can find comfort and healing," he wrote. CathoNews reports the same closing appeal, that the Christian community must become a place where men and women of all ages can find comfort and healing.

The Pope entrusted the bishops' work to the care of Our Lady of Lourdes, writing, "May she accompany your pastoral mission among your diocesan communities, so that holiness may continue to blossom and flourish in France," Vatican News reports. Whether the assembly's work produces the fruit the Pope described will be measured after the bishops leave Lourdes.

Readers can follow related coverage in Called As We Are Exhibition at St Albans Cathedral Celebrates Disabled Church Leaders November 2026 and in Germans Back Merging Catholic and Protestant Churches, 31 Percent Say in 2026 Poll. Related prayer for persecuted Christians is covered in Today: International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians 2026 Focuses on Bassam and in Latest: Coptic Engineer Sherif Wagih Fahmi Arrested in Alexandria Egypt October 2026.

When the bishops of France return to their dioceses after 8 November, the letter will travel with them in a way the September visit could not, because a visit ends and a letter stays on a desk. The young people on the streets, the adults preparing for baptism, and the victims waiting to be heard will be watching for what changes in Lourdes becomes real at home, and the Pope's question about pastoral fruit will still be waiting for an answer.

But the most surprising part of this story is yet to come — keep reading.