
Archbishop of Paris and French cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois (bottom) and archbishop of Lyon Philippe Barbarin (R) take part in a plenary meeting of the French Bishops’ Conference on November 7, 2016 at Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire in Lourdes, southwestern France. – Some 120 Catholic bishops of France started a six-day meeting, which highlight will be an unprecedent day of “prayer and penance” for the victims of pedophilia, following months of scandals. (Photo by PASCAL PAVANI / AFP)
French bishops said Wednesday they were setting up an “independent” commission to “shed light on the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic church since 1950”.
The Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) said in a statement the panel would seek “to understand the reasons which led to the way these affairs were handled” and make recommendations.
The announcement is the latest from the French Catholic church, which is under pressure from local scandals and cases elsewhere that have seen critics accusing it of dragging its feet in delivering a response.
The CEF, meeting in the pilgrim city of Lourdes in southwestern France, said a senior figure would soon be appointed head of the commission and other members named.
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