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

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.Here's a look at the independent reparations program, by the numbers:Over 1,184 decisions granting financial or other reparations from the church have formally been made by the INIRR.Hundreds of other cases...