The Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (Ciase) estimates that more than 216,000 minors have been victims of priests and religious since 1950 in France, one of the main conclusions of the report.
– At least 216,000 victims –
At least 216,000 minors were directly attacked by priests, deacons and religious in France between 1950 and 2020, according to a study by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) requested by Ciase.
The commission presided over by Jean-Marc Sauvé explains, however, that if we take into account the lay people linked to the institutions of the Catholic Church, the number increases to 330,000 victims in seven decades.
Based on a survey of 28,000 people, the Inserm study reveals that more than 5.5 million people were sexually assaulted in France when they were minors: 14.5% of women and 6.4% of men.
“The Catholic Church is, without counting family and friends, the environment where the prevalence of sexual violence is higher”, states the Ciase report.
Abuses in the Church, including lay people, would represent 6% of the total.
After the appeal to hear witnesses, the Sauvé Commission received 6,471 reports – 3,652 by telephone, 2,459 e-mails and 360 letters. Of all, he managed to interview 250 victims of sexual abuse during his childhood.
– 3,000 aggressors –
The number of male aggressors, including priests and religious, would be between 2,900 and 3,200, which represents 2.5% and 2.8% of the 115,000 who have been part of the Church in the last 70 years in France, details the report.
“It’s a minimal estimate,” based on the census and analysis of Church, Justice, Judicial Police and press archives, as well as testimony, said Jean-Marc Sauvé.
– 45 recommendations –
The 45 recommendations established by the Sauvé Commission involve different areas: from the moment of hearing victims to the reform of canon law, passing through the recognition, by the Church, of its “systemic” responsibility in the facts.
Specialists also want the Church to recognize its “civil and social responsibility”, in addition to the “criminal and civil” responsibility of the aggressors, in the period analyzed and create mechanisms for recognizing victims, such as public ceremonies, masses, or memorials.
In addition to removing those involved in sexual abuse from working with minors and studying how to avoid new cases, Ciase asks the Church authorities to make it clear that the secrecy of the confession does not cover these crimes, which must be reported to the courts.
Another proposal is to provide better assistance to victims, which would include the creation of a telephone line for complaints, as well as the analysis of the possibility, already mentioned in the Amazon Synod, of ordering married men.
With regard to the priesthood, the report proposes a psychological assessment before entering the seminary and training priests. Another recommendation is to strengthen the presence of lay people and women in Church decision-making.
– Almost 1,000 working days –
Started on February 8, 2019, the Sauvé Commission investigation worked for 970 days until the presentation of the report requested by the Episcopal Conference (CEF) and the Conference of Religious of France (Corref).
In addition to Sauvé, former vice president of the Council of State, the other 21 members of the independent commission include sociologists, historians, lawyers, theologians and psychologists, among others. In total, there were 12 men and 10 women, unpaid.
The report of more than 2,000 pages is articulated along three axes: “shedding light” on the number of cases; “reveal the dark side” to establish a diagnosis of the facts; and “dispel the darkness” to treat current victims and prevent further attacks.
– Almost 3 million euros –
Ciase calculates the total cost of preparing the report at 3.8 million euros (US$ 4.4 million), excluding the amount of volunteer work carried out by its members.
The effective cost for the institutions that requested the report, CEF and Corref, was 2.6 million euros (almost US$ 3 million), an amount mostly directed towards preparing the reports requested from the research centers and summoning victims.
The report explains that both the Episcopal and Religious Conferences provided the necessary financial resources, but without the right to oversee the appropriateness of the expenses, beyond their regularity and accuracy.
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