The Bishops' Conference of France will create an independent panel to investigate the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic church and "the way these affairs were handled" (AFP Photo/GREG BAKER) |
Paris (AFP) - French bishops announced Wednesday they were setting up an "independent" commission to "shed light on the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic church since 1950".
The
Bishops' Conference of France (CEF) said in a statement the panel would seek
"to understand the reasons which led to the way these affairs were
handled" and make recommendations.
The CEF,
meeting in the pilgrim city of Lourdes in southwestern France, said a senior
figure would soon be appointed head of the commission and other members named.
The
commission would draw up a report within two years, the statement added.
The Vatican
has been shaken by a string of paedophile scandals committed by clergy in
Australia, Europe, North and South America.
In a
devastating US report last August, more than 300 "predator" priests
were accused of abusing over 1,000 minors over seven decades in the state of
Pennsylvania.
The most
senior French Catholic cleric to be caught up in the abuse scandal is Cardinal
Philippe Barbarin, who is to go on trial in January for allegedly covering up
for a priest accused of abusing boy scouts in the Lyon area in the 1980s.
The
scandals have put pressure on the bishops who indicated financial compensation
could be offered to victims.
The
statement said the commission's work would include "collecting the stories
of victims in order to better understand the reasons that led to these
acts" and help prevention efforts.
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