Vice World News: 216,000 Children Were Sexually Abused in French Catholic Church, Report Finds
Stock photo James Coleman
Oct. 5
PARIS — An estimated 216,000 victims suffered sexual abuse from paedophile priests and other members of the clergy over the last 70 years in France, a number that was described as “devastating”, “shameful” and “horrifying” at the release of a landmark report on Tuesday.
Add to that figure cases of sexual abuse against minors committed by lay members of the church and its institutions (teachers in Catholic schools, chaplains, leaders in youth groups and church camps), and that number rises to 330,000.
The new stats are a giant leap from the original figure of 10,000 victims given in March by Jean-Marc Sauvé, president of the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) formed two and a half years ago in response to a string of high-profile paedophile scandals that rocked the French Catholic church in recent years.
For context, it’s estimated that paedophile crimes within the Catholic Church represent 4 percent of all sexual abuse committed against minors in France. “These figures are overwhelming and can, in no case, be without consequence,” Sauvé said at the press conference unveiling the report’s findings.
