She was expected by the victims of child crime in the Church.

The Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation (Inirr) presented its operation on Thursday and opened an email address, but several unknowns remain, in particular the amount of financial compensation.

The creation of such a structure was one of the recommendations of the shock report by Jean-Marc Sauvé published in October on the extent of sexual violence against minors since the 1950s. It was voted in November by the Conference of Bishops of France reunited in Lourdes.

A repair request in several stages

It is intended for the victims of priests or lay people, who may have been attacked, when they were minors, in various places of church, parishes, Catholic enclosures such as catechism, scout camps, teaching, etc. .

Three main missions are assigned to it: "listen, recognize, repair", declared its president, the jurist Marie Derain de Vaucresson, former Defender of Children appointed by the bishops, during a press conference where she presented its operation.

A specific email address (contact@inirr.fr), via the inirr.fr website, was opened on Thursday to officially receive requests from victims.

Each request for reparation will first be followed up by a “referent”, who will help the victim to build it.

It will then be sent to a "college of experts" made up of 12 volunteers (psychiatrists, magistrates, lawyers) who will make a decision: "strong, symbolic words", "mediation proposal", or even, if necessary, "financial compensation ".

In the latter case, the financial request will be forwarded to the "Selam" fund, the fund for the relief and fight against abuse of minors set up by the episcopate which collected 20 million euros a month ago, a first sum promised to compensate the victims.

"Reparation cannot be limited to financial compensation", insisted Marie Derain de Vaucresson.

“It's not an end in itself.

This is not the only answer, ”she hammered.

Already 180 requests under review

The Inirr actually started working at the beginning of February on some 180 initial requests, addressed in particular via the bishops.

"Half of them said straight away: 'I'm not interested in money,'" reported Marie Derain de Vaucresson.

The body is intended to deal “as a priority” with the files of victims whose facts are prescribed, but “we welcome any request”, including from a person already compensated by civil justice, she specified.

"It's very good that finally the two commissions, including the Inirr, are at work", reacted Jean-Pierre Sautreau, of the Collectif85 (collective of Vendée victims).

“It was dragging.

We've been waiting for a while,” he said, welcoming the website's construction.

The other body, the Recognition and Reparation Commission (CRR), intended for victims of attacks committed in religious institutes or congregations, began its work at the beginning of January.

"A titanic project"

"It's a long time to set up," said François Devaux, co-founder of the association La Parole Librée (now dissolved), regretting for example that the "college of experts" of the Inirr is still under construction.

“And the compensation scales are not announced,” he added.

The Inirr is working on it according to its president, who intends to take into account "the nature of the facts", "the consequences throughout life" and "the nature of the expectations".

A floor and a ceiling will be defined, as well as different levels.

She cited to the press, "as an example", a "first level ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 euros", but they have not been fixed at this stage.

Comments that François Devaux denounced: this tendency "to minimize the importance of financial compensation and their amounts is stupidity", he said, fearing compensation "at a lower cost".

Olivier Savignac (Parler et revivre collective), said he was "confident" in the operation of this structure, while wondering how the scales would be established.

"I hope that the process will not be too long," he warned.

“Twelve volunteers for hundreds, even thousands of requests… It's a titanic project!

"Funded by the episcopate, for an initial period of three years, the Inirr has provisioned a budget of nearly "one million euros" for the first year of its operation, counting on the fact that "8,000 requests" could express themselves first.

Society

Sexual violence in the Church: A listening number set up for the victims

Society

“We must dare to look at the truth”, “I fear amalgams”… Catholics react to revelations about sexual abuse in the Church

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