Pope Leo XIV met privately with seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse in Lourdes on September 27, during his four-day visit to France, the Vatican said.

The pope thanked the survivors for their painful testimony and reaffirmed his commitment to ending abuse by priests, according to the Vatican statement. Survivors praised the meeting afterwards, saying the pope listened and was informed about their cases.

The group included victims of diocesan priests, the Notre-Dame de Betharram boarding school and Abbe Pierre. Earlier on Sunday, Leo urged French bishops to keep battling the “scourge” of abuse, citing a 2021 inquiry that found about 330,000 minors were abused in the Church over 70 years.

The visit to Lourdes also drew huge crowds, with 150,000 people at the pope’s Mass. It is the first official papal visit to France in nearly two decades. Leo travels to Metz on Monday for the final day of his trip.