In a shocking report, an estimated 3,000 priests and an unknown number of other people (ie. camp counselors, Scout leaders) associated with the French Catholic Church were accused of sexually abusing children. Like many other countries, the Catholic Church covered up the horrific abuse.
In a statement, Pope Francis expressed “shame” for himself and the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday for the scale of child sexual abuse (mostly young boys.)
“There is, unfortunately, a considerable number. I would like to express to the victims my sadness and pain for the trauma that they suffered,” Francis said. “It is also my shame, our shame, my shame, for the incapacity of the church for too long to put them at the center of its concerns.”
The Pope called on all bishops and religious superiors to take all actions necessary “so similar dramas are not repeated.”
Meanwhile, the commission pressed the church to take strong action, denouncing its “faults” and “silence.” It also called on the Catholic Church to help compensate the victims, particularly in cases that are too old to prosecute in French courts.