[Photo above: Jean-Marc Sauve said the big questions is how many victims will come forward. This AFP story appeared on the website of RTÉ, Dublin, Ireland.]

The head of an independent inquiry investigating clerical child abuse in France said that there might have been up to 10,000 victims since 1950.

Jean-Marc Sauve, head of a commission set up by the Catholic church, said that a previous estimate in June last year of 3,000 victims “is certainly an underestimate.”

“It’s possible that the figure is at least 10,000,” he added at a press conference where he delivered an update on the commission’s work.

A hotline set up in June 2019 for victims and witnesses to report abuse received 6,500 calls in the first 17 months of operation. 

“The big question for us is ‘how many victims came forward’? Is it 25%? 10%, 5% or less?,” Mr Sauve told reporters.

The Bishops’ Conference of France…