The mission of the Independent National Body for Recognition and Reparation (Inirr), intended for victims of sexual violence within the Church, will be extended until 2026, Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, the president of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF).
“Inirr must be able to carry out its work to the end
,” affirmed Mgr de Moulins-Beaufort, in Lourdes, at the end of the spring assembly of the CEF which decided to extend the mandate of Marie Derain from Vaucresson, its president,
“until June 30, 2026”
.
The mandate was to end at the end of the year.
Inirr offers reparations to victims of priests or lay people in dioceses, establishments or Catholic youth movements, with the exception of congregations.
Its creation was decided by the episcopate in November 2021 shortly after the publication of a shocking report on child crime in the French Catholic Church since 1950. As of December 31, 2023, the body had been contacted by 1,351 victims in total and 489 had obtained compensation, according to the second annual report presented in mid-March.
The bishops have also worked on the establishment of a
“national system”
in favor of victims of sexual violence in the Church as adults.
National Canonical Criminal Court
“The assembly entrusted the permanent council with the task of looking for people with whom to design this system”
to
“put in place the most appropriate procedures”
so that
“light is shed on the facts”
, affirmed the president of the THIS F.
The bishops also heard a report from the National Canonical Criminal Tribunal (TPCN), a new structure in the internal law of the Catholic Church inaugurated on December 5, 2022 to deal in particular with cases of sexual assault.
At the end of a year of activity, the cases presented
“for the moment only concern clerics, for abuse of power, sexual abuse and financial crimes”
, we learned from the TPCN.
Mgr de Moulins-Beaufort also reiterated the opposition of the bishops to the bill on the end of life, believing that
“our country deserves better than “active assistance in dying””
.
Finally, with the approach of the European elections, he affirmed that
"our vote, on June 9, must not be a vote of renunciation by Europe of its universal responsibility nor a vote of renunciation by our country of its responsibility to "with regard to the whole world"
but
"a vote which demonstrates our commitment to serving the freedom of thought and action and working together"
.