Around 3,000 Paedophiles Have Been Present in French Catholic Church Since 1950, Report Suggests

The 2,500-page report, which is expected to be published on Friday, will reveal problems linked to child sexual abuse in the Church. It will also try to assess the number of perpetrators and victims over the past seven decades.

There have been thousands of paedophiles lurking inside the French Catholic Church over the years since 1950, according to an independent commission.

Jean-Marc Sauve, the head of the commission that has been investigating cases of sexual abuse, told AFP they had uncovered around 2,900-3,200 paedophile priests or other members of the Church, emphasising that this was "a minimum estimate".

Pope Francis hosts a four-day summit on preventing clergy sexual abuse, a high-stakes meeting designed to impress on Catholic bishops around the world that the problem is global and that there are consequences if they cover it up

© AP Photo / Vincenzo Pinto

The independent commission was formed in 2018 by the French Catholic Church after several high-profile scandals linked to the clergy shocked believers around the world. It includes 22 legal professionals, doctors, historians, and other specialists who have been researching archives and interviewing witnesses.

It was created after Pope Francis announced that people aware of sex abuse in the Church are obliged to report such cases to their superiors.