Stay updated with breaking news from Francois Devaux. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
The church had shown "deep, total and even cruel indifference for years," protecting itself rather than the victims of what was systemic abuse, said Jean-Marc Sauve, head of the commission that compiled the report.
The independent commission that compiled the report urged compensation for victims and strong action from the church.
French clergy sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years, a major investigation released on Tuesday found, and its authors said the Catholic Church had turned a blind eye to the 'scourge' for too long.
PARIS (AP) — An estimated 330,000 children were victims of sex abuse within France’s Catholic Church over the past 70 years, according to a major report released Thursday that is France’s first major reckoning with the devastating phenomenon.
The report states that the abuses were committed by some 3,000 priests and other people involved in the church — wrongdoing that Catholic authorities covered up over decades.