As Pope Leo XIV prepares for a four-day visit to France starting Friday, a French independent body created to address decades of clergy abuse has revealed that about 2,000 survivors have come forward to seek reparations. The Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation (INIRR) announced the figures on Tuesday as it prepares to conclude its five-year mandate.
The INIRR, which officially closed to new submissions on August 31, will continue to accompany victims through the end of next year. It is slated to be replaced by a permanent body that will focus on restorative justice, long-term guidance, and support for victims of sexual violence within the Catholic Church.
According to the organization, its mission has extended beyond financial compensation to provide crucial psychological support. To date, the INIRR has formally issued over 1,184 decisions granting financial or other reparations from the church. Hundreds of other cases are still awaiting a final decision, including those from some 183 people who reached out to the independent body this year alone.
Survivors who complete the process receive a formal "letter of recognition" that acknowledges the sexual abuse they suffered and outlines the financial compensation. The average financial award granted to survivors is 36,892 euros (approximately $42,186). Once the INIRR approves the compensation, the case is forwarded to a special fund financed by the Catholic Church for payment.
For many survivors, the formal acknowledgment carries profound emotional weight. Cécile Reneaume, 34, received reparations after being abused as a young child by the leader of a Catholic community who has since died. "The letter was a shockwave for me," Reneaume said. "I was expecting a very small amount of financial compensation — that’s how I had imagined it. But when I read the letter, it said: ‘The church acknowledges these specific failings'." She added, "It meant that the little girl who once had been unable to speak was finally believed. It gave weight and credibility to what happened to me as a child."
Others described the complicated feelings that come with receiving a monetary value for childhood trauma. Eric, a 55-year-old survivor who was raped by a priest between the ages of 8 and 14 and chose to withhold his last name, recalled his reaction to the payout. "My first reaction was violent," he said, describing feelings of anger and disbelief. "Am I worth this?" He explained that it took time to process the meaning of the payment. "It took me time to understand that it wasn’t me who was being assessed, nor was it about putting a price on what I had suffered, because you can’t put a price on a childhood." The INIRR emphasizes that the compensation is intended to financially support the healing process.
Demographically, those who reached out to the INIRR last year had an average age of 56, with about two-thirds being men and one-third being women. Many survivors struggle with memory loss due to trauma. Philippe Gomes was 49 in 2023 when a session of therapeutic hypnosis helped him recover memories of being sexually abused by two priests from age 7 to 12. "I reached out to the INIRR and that was a real shock, because the first thing I was told was: ‘I believe you,’" Gomes said. He noted that his ongoing therapy has helped him speak about the rape without crying, adding, "I'm not ashamed, I'm not the one who should be ashamed."
In addition to financial payouts, the reparations process often includes nonfinancial support tailored to the victims' requests. These measures have included assisting victims in writing down their stories, organizing meetings with local church representatives, or installing memorial plaques in honor of the victims.
The release of the INIRR's report comes just days before Pope Leo XIV's arrival in France. During his visit, the pontiff is expected to meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by priests and other Catholic personnel.
Here's a look at the independent reparations program, by the numbers:
The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify victims of sexual assault or abuse unless they come forward publicly or give their consent to be identified.
