French Catholic Church pays reparations to 6 victims of child sexual abuse

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) – In a first of its kind, the Catholic Church in France has paid financial reparations to six victims of child sexual abuse in the church, according to local media.

The fund for solidarity and the fight against sexual assault on minors (SALEM), set up by the Conference of Bishops of France, has paid compensation to six victims, French newspaper Journal Du Dimanche reported on Saturday.

The development comes after the Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation (Inirr) announced in June that 736 victims of church abuse had come forward to claim compensation. The remaining 730 victims will be compensated in the coming weeks of summer, the report said.

Although the amount of compensation has not been disclosed, Inirr said it will provide reparations of up to €60,000 (about $64,000) per person, depending on the severity of the case.

According to a report from the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE), about 216,000 adolescents have been sexually abused by a priest or a member of the clergy in France since 1950. The Inirr was established to process reparations after verifying the victims' claims.​​​​​​​