According to a report received this Tuesday, horrific news came on the headlines that more than 330,00 children were sexually abused inside a Catholic Church in France for the past 70 years.
The children were not only sexually abused, more than 3,000 priests along with other people were involved in this crime that happened within the premises of the Church. However, these wrongdoings were covered a few decades ago in a very systematic manner by Catholic authorities- as per the report issued by Jean-Marc Sauvé.
330,000 victims of child sex abuse in French Catholic Church
The report further reveals that the president of the France bishops’ organization appealed for pardon from those sexually abused victims, nearly 80% of them were boys. On Tuesday, all bishops will gather to decide the implementation of future steps.
“The consequences are very serious,” Sauvé said. “About 60% of men and women who were sexually abused encounter major problems in their emotional or sexual life.”
“We consider the church has a debt towards victims,” he added.
The 2,500-page book was published by the Catholic Church in France to uncover the horrifying secrets that were hidden inside the Church for the past 70 years. Sexually abused Victims praised this study, saying “it was long overdue.”
According to Francois Devaux, chairman of the victims’ organization La Parole Libérée, Victims welcomed the report as long overdue.
Francois Devaux, head of the victims’ group La Parole Libérée (The Liberated Word), said it was “a turning point in our history.”
He denounced the coverups that permitted “mass crimes for decades.”
“But even worse, there was a betrayal: betrayal of trust, betrayal of morality, betrayal of children, betrayal of innocence,” he said, calling on the church for compensation.
In May 2019, Pope Francis issued a series of groundbreaking new church laws which will be required to be followed by all priests and nuns all over the world. If this law was properly implemented in all churches then there could be a decrease in clergy sexual abuse and cover-ups by their superiors.
