About 2,000 church sex abuse victims have come forward for reparations in France

About 2,000 people have sought reparations from a French body addressing church abuse

PARIS -- About 2,000 people who reported being sexually abused by priests or other church representatives have sought reparations from a French independent body created to address decades of abuse, the organization said Tuesday as it prepares to end its five-year mission.

The Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation, or INIRR, said its work extended beyond financial compensation to include psychological support.

INIRR's report comes ahead of Pope Leo XIV's four-day visit to France , beginning Friday, during which he is expected to meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse by priests and other Catholic personnel.

France’s Catholic bishops’ conference agreed to provide reparations after a 2021 report estimated some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church-related figures in France. The report described a “systemic” cover-up by church officials and urged the French Catholic Church to respect the rule of law in France.

Over 1,184 decisions granting financial or other reparations from the church have formally been made by the INIRR.

Hundreds of other cases are still awaiting a decision. Some 183 people reached out to the independent body this year.

The INIRR closed to new submissions on Aug. 31, after completing its scheduled mandate, but is still accompanying victims until the end of next year.

It is to be replaced by another body, meant to be permanent and focusing on restorative justice, long-term guidance, and support for victims of sexual violence within the church.

After completing the process, survivors receive a “letter of recognition” that formally acknowledges the sexual abuse and details the financial compensation.

“The letter was a shockwave for me,” said Cécile Reneaume, 34, who received reparations from INIRR after she was abused as a young child by the leader of a Catholic community, who has since died.

“I was expecting a very small amount of financial compensation — that’s how I had imagined it. But when I read the letter, it said: ‘The church acknowledges these specific failings'," she described.

“It meant that the little girl who once had been unable to speak was finally believed. It gave weight and credibility to what happened to me as a child,” Reneaume said.

The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify victims of sexual assault or abuse unless they come forward publicly or give their consent to be identified.