a first sum of 20 million euros collected for the victims

The twenty million euros announced have been collected. The Fund for the relief and fight against abuse of minors (Selam), collecting contributions from bishops and dioceses, has collected the first sum necessary to compensate victims of pedocrime in the Church wishing financial compensation. “This is the first act. The Church is at the rendezvous of what it has announced”, said Tuesday, January 25 Gilles Vermot-Desroches, president of Selam, a structure managed by a board of directors and chaired by this layman.

During a board meeting held on Monday, two first envelopes were decided: a first, of “five million euros“, will be assigned to the”“financial support” victims, according to Gilles Vermot-Desroches. Concretely, victims claiming reparation in financial form from the Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation (Inirr, in the process of being set up) will be compensated by Selam, after approval by the latter, he said. Another envelope“a million” euros has also been decided, which will be allocated to “prevention and memory approaches” (plaque, place of memory for example), in the “six months”, he specified.

In November, a month after the publication of the Sauvé report on the extent of the phenomenon of pedocrime, the episcopate recognized the “responsibility” of the Church in these acts and announced that he was going to raise funds. The President of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, had declared, “to start”, to want “raise 20 million euros”, in “taking on the real estate heritage and the investments of the Church”. Since then, the treasurers of some 100 dioceses in France have made an inventory of their available resources – real estate and furniture – and have gradually paid their contribution.