The five key points of the Church abuse report in France

The “Sauvé Commission” this week published shocking figures detailing the sexual abuse of children and adolescents by French priests and other Church officials. Here are the key findings.

Alarming figures for the Church

Drawing on a large study conducted by French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) deduced that since 1950 about 330,000 minors in France had been victims in Church contexts.

For 216,000 of these children and adolescents, the abuse was committed by a consecrated person (priest, deacon or religious brother and sister).

CIASE estimates that between 2,900 and 3,200 priests were the abusers. It says this is a comparatively low figure, but it is the "floor" range.

While religious sisters may have committed sexual abuse, the perpetrators are largely men.

Sexual violence is more frequent in the Church environment

While family and friendships are the primary contexts for pedophilia, the prevalence of pedophilia is "significantly higher" within the Church than in other social settings.

Thus, 1.16% of the adults who were sexually abused during childhood, experienced such abuse in a Church environment, while "only" 0.36% had been sexually abused in summer camps and 0.34% in public schools.

These figures contradict the often-heard line of defense that abuse is no worse in the Church than in other social settings.

The Church’s slow evolution in responding to abuse

"For a long time, the Catholic Church was primarily concerned with protecting itself as an institution and showed a complete and even cruel indifference towards people who had been assaulted," said Jean-Marc Sauvé, president of CIASE.

These are particularly scathing words. 

But the commission’s report distinguishes three distinct periods in how the Church has responded to allegations of sexual abuse over the year.

It notes that from 1950-1970, the Church wanted to "protect itself from scandal", hide the victims and try to "save" the aggressor.

In the next period, Church officials began "taking into account the existence of the victims", which does not mean "recognition".

And since 2010, the Church has accepted that abuse cases should be reported to civil authorities and has renounced a "purely internal" approach.

Yet, the “Sauvé Commission'', as CIASE is commonly called in France, is very critical despite this evolution.

"The Church's responses have been insufficient overall, often late, in reaction to events, or poorly applied," its report says.

Moreover, it notes that while sexual violence decreased beginning in 1970, there have been fewer known cases since 1990.

A demand that the institution be held responsible

"The attitude of non-recognition or denial of reality, characteristic of the Church during the period studied, has been an escape route from a true handling of information," the report says.

In the face of this, it says there must be a "process of truth and reparation on the part of the Church" and an "acknowledgement of responsibility".

The commission thus asks for an "unfeigned abasement" through a "humble recognition at the level of the people... of faults to be repaired".

The Sauvé Commission says this includes financial reparation, "which cannot be purely lump-sum", contrary to the current plans of the French bishops’ conference.

Similarly, it insists that this be funded "without an appeal for donations from the faithful, as this would not be consistent with the recognition of the Church's responsibility as an institution".

A list of recommendations

In its report, the Sauvé Commission made no less than 45 recommendations.

These range from carrying out criminal background checks to identifying "rogue forms" of charisms, changing catechesis and strengthening existing protection mechanisms.

The commission does not challenge mandatory priestly celibacy, but it calls for more work to ensure that it does not allow the priest to be put in a "heroic or domineering position".

It also calls for reflection on the "concentration" of various powers in the hands of the bishop and a "vast overhaul of canon law" in the penal field.

The secrecy of confession will certainly be a point of friction with the Church, with the commission calling for "precise directives" to be issued so that the confessor cannot "afford to go against" the penal obligation to denounce acts of pedophilia.

This obligation, according to the commission, is in conformity with "the obligation of natural divine right to protect the life and dignity of the person".