ROME (KXXV) — Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed Wednesday that Catholic priests must remain celibate and called on bishops to take “firm and decisive” action against clergy accused of sexual abuse.
According to the Associated Press, the directives were issued as he addressed approximately 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Holy Year celebrations honoring the clergy.
The former Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV and the first American pope, previously served as the Vatican’s prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, where he shaped the future of church leadership under Pope Francis’ inclusive and dialog-driven vision.
Following a message of encouragement to young seminarians the previous day, Leo provided a clearer roadmap for episcopal leadership.
Bishops, Leo said, must embrace lives of humility, poverty, and service—opening their homes to all and acting as both father and brother to their priests.
