"Between 2,900 and 3,200" cases of paedophilia in French catholic church since 1950 - report

An independent commission is to present a hard-hitting report mapping out paedophilia cases within the French catholic church over a seventy year period.

A man prepares a layout for a meeting organised by the diocese of Lille around the theme ""The Church confronted with sexual abuse" in Lomme, northern France, on May 2, 2019. AFP - PHILIPPE HUGUEN

The the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (Ciase) is due to submit its full report on Tuesday.

“Between 2,900 and 3,200 paedophiles,” priests and laymen, have been active within the Catholic Church in France since 1950, according to Jean-Marc Sauvé, president of a commission which investigates crimes of paedophilia within the Church.

"That's a low estimate", he told AFP.

pétition : Sexual abuse: catholic church leaders must take responsability ! #CIASE https://t.co/yAPCY3rva8 via @ChangeFrance

— Muriel Salmona (@memoiretrauma) October 3, 2021

Over a two-year period, the Ciase researched church- judicial- police- and media archives and collected testimonies from eye witnesses. They focused on a period spanning 70 years since 1950. In total, some 115,000 people were working in different capacities within the Catholic church in France during that time.

On 5 October, the Ciase will officially publish its findings in a 2,500 page report, that includes analyses, an "inventory" of the abuse and the number of victims. The report will compare the occurrence of sexual violence within the Church with cases in other environments, such as sports associations, schools or the family circle of the victim. 

(With AFP)

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