{"id":84313,"date":"2025-09-30T20:15:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T20:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/?p=84313"},"modified":"2025-09-30T20:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T20:15:15","slug":"the-systematic-abuse-of-children-in-the-french-catholic-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humanium.org\/en\/the-systematic-abuse-of-children-in-the-french-catholic-church\/","title":{"rendered":"The systematic abuse of children in the French Catholic Church"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Between 1950 and 2020, at least 216,000 <\/strong>children in France<\/strong><\/a> were <\/strong>sexually abused<\/strong><\/a> by priests and members of religious orders. These crimes show how abuse was enabled by silence, cover-ups, and a culture that protected the institution rather than children. In response, France has begun reforms and created independent bodies such as the CRR and INIRR, but survivors and experts insist that recognition must be matched with structural change to ensure such abuse can never happen again.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CIASE Report: Findings on child abuse in the Catholic Church of France<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For more than seventy years, children in France have been subjected to sexual violence within the Catholic Church on a scale that defies comprehension. According to the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE), at least 216,000 children were abused by priests and members of religious orders (CIASE, 2021). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CIASE report, published in 2021 after two and a half years of investigation, drew on more than 2,500 testimonies and thousands of Church and judicial archives. The findings were described as \u201cstaggering\u201d in scope, making clear that the French Catholic Church failed in its fundamental duty to protect children (CIASE, 2021)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survivors spoke of silencing, of grooming<\/a> under the guise of religious authority, and of lifelong psychological scars. Many described how priests exploited their position of trust, making children believe that the abuse was \u201cnormal\u201d or even spiritually justified:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t put any pressure on me. I saw he was happy, in my head good and bad were mixed up. A part of me was silently screaming, asking him to stop, but the words wouldn’t come out. Another part of me, seeing his eyes, told me not to worry.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 A survivor of clerical abuse as a child (CIASE, 2021)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

While the report charted abuse across seventy years, the B\u00e9tharram scandal, brought to national attention between 2023 and 2025, shows that the exposure of abuse is ongoing, showing that abuse within the Church is not only a matter of history, but continues to emerge through survivors\u2019 testimonies today.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ongoing violations represent not only a betrayal of trust but also a breach of France\u2019s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child<\/a>, which guarantees every child\u2019s right to safety and dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The B\u00e9tharram boarding school and Abb\u00e9 Pierre in the context of recent abuse cases<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Notre-Dame de B\u00e9tharram, an elite Catholic boarding school in the Pyrenees, more than 200 legal complaints have been filed, including 90 for sexual violence or rape, covering decades from 1957 to 2004. A French parliamentary inquiry has called it the largest school abuse scandal in the nation\u2019s history, exposing state failures as well as Church complicity (Chrisafis, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survivors described an atmosphere of terror: boys beaten until unconscious, hair ripped out, children forced to stand outside all night in the cold. Others testified to systematic sexual assault by priests who preyed on vulnerable children, such as those from single-parent families or grieving the death of a parent (Chrisafis, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cB\u00e9tharram was like a supermarket for sexual predators and those of us who were sexually abused or raped often had the same profile: vulnerable children with separated or deceased parents.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 A 13-year-old boy from a single-parent family in Bordeaux<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In parallel, the reputation of Abb\u00e9 Pierre, long celebrated in France as a champion of the poor, has been shaken by posthumous allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Since 2024, women have come forward with testimonies, including some who were minors at the time of the abuse (Reuters, 2025). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet despite the scale of these revelations, prosecutors explained that no formal investigation could proceed because Abb\u00e9 Pierre died in 2007, making criminal prosecution legally impossible. While institutions have offered symbolic reparations, the lack of legal recourse signals that protecting the institution still takes precedence over protecting children<\/a> (Payne, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the Church enabled abuse<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the Catholic Church in France relied on its own system of canon law rather than civil justice. This parallel framework often prioritized the preservation of the institution over the safety of children. Abuse was treated as a sin to be forgiven or a weakness to be corrected, not a crime to be reported (Callaghan, 2010).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This culture was reinforced by the way priests were trained. Future clergy were taught strict obedience rather than moral courage, creating an environment where questioning authority was discouraged. Priests were elevated as sacred figures, and for children, this \u201cauthority\u201d made it unthinkable to resist, leaving them defenseless (Coren, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after the CIASE report exposed decades of abuse, parts of the French Church defended the seal of confession as more binding than civil law. Archbishop \u00c9ric de Moulins-Beaufort stated publicly that the seal was \u201cstronger than the laws of the Republic\u201d (National Catholic Register, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, survivor accounts and internal records show how superiors regularly chose transfer over transparency. Abusive priests were reassigned to new parishes, where they continued to have access to children. Families who tried to raise concerns were pressured into denial and told \u201cnever say that about one of God\u2019s priests\u201d (Callaghan, 2010). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One clear example is the case of Bernard Preynat, a priest who acknowledged to Church officials as early as the 1990s that he had abused Boy Scouts in his care. Yet instead of removing him, leaders quietly reassigned him to new parishes, allowing him to remain in contact with children for decades (Vaux-Montagnyr, 2020). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living with the consequences of abuse<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Victims described the psychological toll as a \u201clife sentence.\u201d They spoke of intrusive memories, loss of self-esteem, depression, and fractured relationships (Vera-Gray, 2023). One survivor testified: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe loathsome creature had broken down any real sense of compassion and love in me.  I was love-disabled, unable to receive it, unable to give it. I pretended. What does a life without love mean?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Adult survivor of clerical sexual abuse<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These words reveal the depth of damage abuse causes when survivors are not heard. His experience reflects what research has consistently shown: child sexual abuse can fracture a person\u2019s ability to trust, to form safe relationships, and even to believe in their own worth. The impacts reach far beyond mental health<\/a>, shaping every dimension of life, from physical wellbeing and long-term health problems<\/a> (Vera-Gray, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many survivors, the abuse was not only the violation itself, but also the decades of denial that followed. Families and Church authorities often minimized, denied, or urged forgiveness. This silence compounded the harm, leaving children to bear their suffering alone. For some, giving testimony decades later was the first step toward healing (CIASE, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But testimony alone is not enough. International child protection experts stress that recovery requires timely support, safe caregivers, and trauma-informed services. Survivors need access to healthcare, psychosocial care, and education that helps restore stability. Caregivers play a critical role: when parents respond with belief and compassion, children are far more likely to recover (UNICEF, 2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal protection against child abuse in France<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

French law provides strong protection for children against sexual abuse. The French Criminal Code criminalizes sexual offences such as sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, child pornography<\/a>, and child prostitution<\/a> (Arts. 222-22, 222-23, 227-22 to 227-26, 225-7). Rape of a child under 15 can carry up to 20 years imprisonment (Vaz Cabral et al, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several reforms have since strengthened the legal response to abuse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n