Thousands of paedophiles have operated within the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of a panel investigating abuses by church members says.
Jean-Marc Sauvé told French media that the commission had found evidence of 2,900 to 3,200 abusers - out of a total of 115,000 priests and other clerics.
"That is a minimal estimate," he added.
The commission is to release a lengthy report on Tuesday. It is based on church, court and police archives, as well as interviews with victims.
The inquiry was commissioned by the French Catholic Church in 2018, following a number of scandals in other countries.
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