The Catholic Church of France agreed on Monday to financially compensate victims of sexual assault, which the president of the country’s Episcopal Conference called a “decisive step”.
The president of the Conference Éric de Moulins-Beaufort declared in a speech that the Church recognized its “institutional responsibility” and decided to go on “a path of recognition and reparation opening for the victims the possibility of mediation and compensation ”.
The Episcopal Conference held its annual meeting a month after a report revealed large-scale sexual assaults on children within the French Catholic Church.
The study published by an independent commission estimated that some 330,000 children have been sexually assaulted over 70 years by priests or other figures linked to the Church.
“We felt disgust and dread rise in us as we realized what so many people had experienced and were living through suffering,” said Mr. Moulins-Beaufort.
The bishops recognized the responsibility of the Church which implies financial compensation, because the Commission “strongly indicated to us this path”, but also because “very diverse faithful, plunged in shame, awaited it from us. “, did he declare.
Mr. Moulins-Beaufort did not provide details on the amount of compensation and how the Church intends to pay.
The report released last month described a “systemic” cover-up of abuses by the Catholic Church and urged the Church to respect the rule of law in France.
He said the 330,000 casualty tally includes about 216,000 people abused by priests and other clergymen, and the remainder by Church figures such as Scout leaders and camp counselors. The estimates were based on larger research by France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research into child sexual assault in the country.
France is a traditionally Roman Catholic country, but adheres to a strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating Church and State.