Pope Leo XIV, addressing bishops in Peru on Thursday, described the "pain" caused by Catholic clerical abuse and said the Church must make amends to victims and protect others.
The American-born pope is on a nostalgic return visit to the nation he calls his "homeland," and knows the abuse scandal well from the nearly two decades he worked in Peru as a missionary and bishop.
Clerical abuse, a global scourge, was "a reality that has caused us so much pain," the 71-year-old said.
The Church must respond "with truth, justice, forgiveness, making amends and an ever more resolute commitment to fostering a culture of prevention and protection for the weakest," he added.
The most high-profile case in Peru is the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a powerful lay movement that Leo's predecessor Francis shut down in 2025 due to allegations of sexual, physical and psychological abuse, as well as corruption.
Before he was elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost was the bishop designated to hear from victims of the influential Sodalitium Christianae Vitae.
Victims said he was supportive of their claims.
In April 2026, the Vatican announced plans to set up a "listening channel" in Lima for the victims, and use assets seized from the lay movement to compensate them.
Renzo Orbegozo, a 50-year-old victim, told AFP the victims were seeking "comprehensive reparation."
"Many require psychological and medical support, as well as social reintegration -- all of which, ultimately, translates into financial assistance," he said.
On the eve of the pope's South America tour, the US-based nonprofit Bishop Accountability presented a list in Lima of 77 members of the Peruvian clergy it said had been publicly accused of abusing minors.
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the group, called on Leo to implement a "zero tolerance" on abusers.
The head of the 1.4 billion Catholics has not shied away from tackling sensitive political and social topics during his three-nation Latin American tour.
"Cases of abuse must be investigated, we must be strict, all of this must be stopped," 71-year-old pilgrim Irma Grimaldo said after the pope's speech.
Fellow faithful Pedro Campos said Leo was "a member of our country who... knows the needs of all Peruvians."
At a speech later to some 40,000 people on the challenges facing Peruvians, the pontiff slammed "machismo" attitudes and said violence against women was "a reality that wounds all of humanity."
There was no excuse for "an unequal sharing of domestic responsibilities or the subordination of one spouse to the other," he said.
Chicago-born Leo was given a raucous reception by crowds lining the streets, chanting his name.
Thousands of people -- including children dressed as the pope or as bishops -- lined up for a glimpse of the pope as he drove by in the popemobile.
Some had travelled vast distances to see him.
Maria Peves, 66, said she and her two daughters had come because "to see the face of the pope gives me peace of mind that inspires confidence."
The intense trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru comes just weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, but the pope shows no sign of flagging.
Leo littered his speech with fond references to Peru's landscape and culture, telling the Catholic clergy to think of their mission as a difficult but rewarding walk, like the path that leads to Machu Picchu.
He compared the Catholic mission to the "steep ascents" of the Inca Trail in Peru, where he spent two decades as a missionary, visiting remote mountain communities.
The trail, an ancient network of routes that traverses much of the Andes, "is not to be walked alone," he cautioned.
During his tenure in Peru, Prevost worked in poor and remote northern areas, and remained close to local communities during periods of hardship, visiting them sometimes on horseback.
"Walking together fosters communion," he said.
Six days in Peru will see Leo travel from the deep Amazon to the high Andes. He will visit Cuzco, at more than 3,400 meters (11,000 feet) elevation, which will test his recovery from lung surgery.
He will also make an emotional return to Chiclayo, the northern city where he was bishop for a decade.
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