‘Thousands of paedophiles’ in French Catholic Church since 1950

Head of commission probing scandal says it found between 2,900 and 3,200 paedophile priests or other members of the church.

Thousands of paedophiles have operated inside the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of an independent commission investigating the scandal said just days ahead of the release of its report.

The commission’s research had uncovered between 2,900 and 3,200 paedophile priests or other members of the church, Jean-Marc Sauve told the AFP news agency on Sunday, adding that it was “a minimum estimate”.

The commission’s report is due to be released on Tuesday after two and a half years of research based on church, court and police archives, as well as interviews with witnesses.