French bishops agree to compensate sex abuse victims

PARIS (AP) — The president of France’s Bishops Conference said the country’s Catholic Church made “a decisive step” after it agreed to provide financial compensation to sex abuse victims. Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, the conference president, said in a speech on Monday that the Church has recognized its “institutional responsibility” and decided to go on “a path of recognition and reparation” that paves the way for victims to possibly receive compensation. The Bishops Conference held its annual meeting a month after a report revealed large-scale child sex abuse within the French Catholic Church. Moulins-Beaufort did not provide details about the amount of the compensation and how the church intends to pay.