French Catholic Church

Catholic bishops in France agreed Monday to sell part of the Church's extensive real estate holdings to compensate thousands of victims of child sex abuse at the hands of clergy.

Senior members of France's Catholic hierarchy knelt in a show of penance at the shrine of Lourdes Saturday, a day after bishops accepted the church's responsibility for decades of child abuse.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday as the French Catholic Church battles a storm over clerical child sex abuse and the sanctity of confession.

Protecting children from sexual abuse is an "absolute priority" for the Catholic Church, a French archbishop said Tuesday, walking back previous comments suggesting priests should not violate the secrets of confession.

Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed his "shame" at the sexual abuse of children by French Catholic clergy, laid bare in a devastating report this week.

Pope Francis expressed his "great sorrow" for the victims of sexual abuse by French Catholic clergy after the publication on Tuesday of a devastating report, a Vatican spokesman said.

French clergy have sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years, a major investigation released on Tuesday found, and its authors accused the Catholic Church of turning a blind eye for too long and urged it to reform.

Thousands of paedophiles have operated inside the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of an independent commission investigating the scandal told AFP, days ahead of the release of its report.

At least 3,000 children have fallen victim to sex abuse in the French Catholic Church since 1950, the president of a commission set up to investigate the claims said Wednesday.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was unable to hold Christmas Eve Mass for the first time in more than 200 years after a fire ravaged its structure in April.

French bishops voted on Saturday in favour of a plan to offer payments to people who were sexually abused as children by members of the Catholic clergy.

A French bishop resigned on Thursday at the behest of the Vatican over "inappropriate behaviour" towards youths, just weeks after complaints came to the attention of his diocese.

Muslims across France were invited to participate in Catholic ceremonies today to mourn a priest whose murder by jihadist teenagers sparked fears of religious tension.

A priest in an ultra-conservative Catholic sect has been charged with rape and torture for acts allegedly committed during exorcisms involving three schoolteachers.

Several hundred thousand opponents of same-sex marriage marched in central Paris on Sunday against a reform the unpopular French government passed last month at the price of deepening political polarisation.

Catholic bishops in France agreed Monday to sell part of the Church's extensive real estate holdings to compensate thousands of victims of child sex abuse at the hands of clergy.

Senior members of France's Catholic hierarchy knelt in a show of penance at the shrine of Lourdes Saturday, a day after bishops accepted the church's responsibility for decades of child abuse.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday as the French Catholic Church battles a storm over clerical child sex abuse and the sanctity of confession.

Protecting children from sexual abuse is an "absolute priority" for the Catholic Church, a French archbishop said Tuesday, walking back previous comments suggesting priests should not violate the secrets of confession.

Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed his "shame" at the sexual abuse of children by French Catholic clergy, laid bare in a devastating report this week.

Pope Francis expressed his "great sorrow" for the victims of sexual abuse by French Catholic clergy after the publication on Tuesday of a devastating report, a Vatican spokesman said.

French clergy have sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years, a major investigation released on Tuesday found, and its authors accused the Catholic Church of turning a blind eye for too long and urged it to reform.

Thousands of paedophiles have operated inside the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of an independent commission investigating the scandal told AFP, days ahead of the release of its report.

At least 3,000 children have fallen victim to sex abuse in the French Catholic Church since 1950, the president of a commission set up to investigate the claims said Wednesday.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was unable to hold Christmas Eve Mass for the first time in more than 200 years after a fire ravaged its structure in April.

French bishops voted on Saturday in favour of a plan to offer payments to people who were sexually abused as children by members of the Catholic clergy.

A French bishop resigned on Thursday at the behest of the Vatican over "inappropriate behaviour" towards youths, just weeks after complaints came to the attention of his diocese.

Muslims across France were invited to participate in Catholic ceremonies today to mourn a priest whose murder by jihadist teenagers sparked fears of religious tension.

A priest in an ultra-conservative Catholic sect has been charged with rape and torture for acts allegedly committed during exorcisms involving three schoolteachers.

Several hundred thousand opponents of same-sex marriage marched in central Paris on Sunday against a reform the unpopular French government passed last month at the price of deepening political polarisation.