What Happened in France?

Listening to the Voices of Survivors

Church steeple against winter mountains.

December 1, 2021
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST
Location: Online Zoom Webinar

The report of the French Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE), led by Jean-Marc Sauvé, is a momentous accomplishment filled with important recommendations, yet still remains controversial. Building on the November 16 event “Prière De Ne Pas Abuser (Please Do Not Abuse),” this event brought together experts from France and elsewhere in Europe to better understand this reality and the possible global implications for safeguarding in the Catholic Church and other faith communities.

This discussion highlighted the insights from two new and quite comprehensive books on sexual abuse, L’Église catholique face aux abus sexuels sur mineurs (The Catholic Church and the Sexual Abuse of Minors) (2019) by Marie-Jo Thiel and L’Eglise déchirée (The Torn Church) (2021) edited by Stéphane Joulain. Additionally, Antoine Garapon, a prolific author and judicial expert who was also a member of CIASE, joined these two authors to discuss the immediate and long-term implications of the Sauvé report. The conversation was moderated by Senior Research Fellow Rev. Gerard J. McGlone, S.J.

This event was co-sponsored by Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life; Office of Mission and Ministry; Georgetown Law Office of Mission and Ministry; and Collaborative on Global Children's Issues.

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