VATICAN CITY — On 10 January Pope Leo XIV addressed the Cardinals gathered in Consistory and renewed a forceful call for a culture of listening within the Church, saying the sexual abuse crisis remains “a real wound” and that many victims have suffered further harm when Church leaders failed to welcome or hear them.

The Holy Father’s remarks came during an address focused on formation and discernment, the text of which was published the same day by the Holy See. In it, Pope Leo XIV emphasised the need for formation in listening and in a “spirituality of listening,” stressing that this applies not only to seminarians but also to bishops.

Although the abuse crisis was not the central theme of the meeting, the Pope said it could not be left unaddressed. He warned against the temptation to look away, saying the Church must not close either its eyes or its heart to the suffering of victims.

Pope Leo noted that while sexual abuse itself causes deep and sometimes lifelong wounds, the pain experienced by survivors has often been intensified by the Church’s failure to receive them with openness and care. In many cases, he said, victims were neither welcomed nor accompanied with the closeness expected of authentic pastors.

Recalling a recent personal encounter, Pope Leo said a survivor told him that the most painful aspect of her experience was that no bishop was willing to listen to her. He pointed to this failure as a serious pastoral shortcoming and urged those present to share the message with bishops in their own contexts.

The Pope underlined that attentive listening is not a secondary gesture but a fundamental responsibility of Church leadership. Without it, he said, the Church risks deepening scandal and losing credibility, particularly among those who have already been harmed.

The intervention closely aligns with the ongoing work of the Commission, which continues to promote safeguarding, survivor support and accountability across the Church. Central to that mission is the conviction that listening to victims and survivors is indispensable to justice, healing and meaningful reform.

Pope Leo concluded by reaffirming that rebuilding trust requires concrete pastoral closeness and a renewed commitment to listening, especially to those whose voices have too often gone unheard.