French Church, clergy sexually abused 216,000 children since 1950

A report on sexual abuse in the French Catholic Church found that 216,000 children were sexually abused by clergy members since 1950.

According to Jean-Marc Sauvé, head of the commission that compiled the report, there were at least 2,900-3,200 abusers – two-thirds of which are priests who worked in the church during that period.

During the report’s presentation, Sauvé noted that most of the victims were boys, many of them aged between 10 and 13.

Sauvé also accused the Church of showing a “cruel indifference towards the victims.”

The document of 2,500 pages was prepared by an independent commission and published on Tuesday exposing decades of abuse and cover-ups.

“The consequences are very serious,” Sauvé said. “About 60 percent of men and women who were sexually abused encounter major problems in their sentimental or sexual life.”

Founder of victims’ association La Parole Libérée and survivor of church abuse, François Devaux commented on the inquiry, saying there had been a “betrayal of trust, betrayal of morale, betrayal of children”.

Devaux considers this exposure a turning point in France’s history since recognition of the abused is finally given.

“You have finally given institutional recognition to victims of all the Church’s responsibility – something that bishops and the Pope have not yet been prepared to do,” he told church representatives during the report’s presentation.

In response, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF), Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, said: “My wish today is to ask forgiveness from each of you”.

Following the event packed with terrifying news, it occurs vivid that the Church did not only fail to prevent the abuse of innocent children from happening but as well failed to report it.