Bétharram Congregation Admits Responsibility in Decades of Abuse

The religious order has acknowledged its role in the suffering of children, announced reparations, and launched an independent inquiry into widespread abuses.

The Bétharram congregation has publicly accepted responsibility for decades of physical and sexual abuse against children in its institutions, with many victims describing their lives as 'destroyed.'
A new independent commission will investigate the causes of the abuses, review archives, and collect testimony from victims across multiple countries where the congregation operated.
The congregation is creating a new compensation fund for victims of abuse by lay staff, financed by the sale of its real estate assets, after having already paid €700,000 in reparations for clergy-related abuses.
Over 150 complaints have been filed against former clergy and lay staff, though most reported incidents occurred between the 1950s and 1980s and are now legally prescribed.
The French government has faced criticism for failing to adequately inspect the institution, with Education Minister Elisabeth Borne highlighting systemic neglect over decades.