A financial contribution from the Church to victims of pedocriminality?

Illustration in a church.

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The Catholic bishops on Friday expressed the will of the Church to "assume its responsibility before the society in apologies" for the crimes of child criminality committed by its members and agreed to pay the victims a "financial contribution" the amount of which will be "lump sum".

"Not compensation or reparation"

This contribution will be financed by an “ad hoc endowment fund” and determined by “an independent assistance body” which will be responsible for “examining the requests and deciding the allocations within the limits of the capacities of a fund”, specified the Conference of Bishops of France.

This contribution "is not compensation or reparation", declared Mgr Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the CEF, during a press conference closing the plenary assembly of some 120 bishops who voted eleven resolutions. , including several in favor of the fight against child crime.

A day of prayer each year in memory of the victims

They also decided that the principle of a “day of prayer” each year in memory of the victims, wanted by the Vatican, would take place on the “third Friday of Lent” and continue their work “with a view to establishing, if possible in Lourdes (...), the installation of a place of remembrance ”.

The bishops also decided to set up a “national team of listeners” or even the creation of a “national interdiocesan canonical penal court (for the law of the Church)”.

• Society