Pope says he’ll meet with French sex abuse commission

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has agreed to meet with the commission that published a ground-breaking report into clergy sexual abuse in the French Catholic Church. That’s according to French bishops who met with him. The president of the French Bishops Conference told reporters Monday that Francis had agreed “in principle” to meet with the independent commission members but that a date had to be found.  The French report estimated that some 330,000 children were victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, scout leaders or other Catholic-affiliated lay employees from 1950-2020. The methodology of the report, however, has been criticized, since the estimates are far higher than other similar national reports.