The head of France’s Catholic bishops conference is asking forgiveness from the estimated 330,000 victims of child sex abuse by the church found in a groundbreaking report.
The report was released Tuesday after extensive research in France’s first major reckoning with the issue.
The President of the Conference of Bishops of France, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, said Tuesday “we are appalled” at the conclusions of the report and the numbers of victims.
“Their voices are shaking us, their numbers afflict us,” he said.
The commission that compiled the report urged compensation for victims and strong action from the church.