An independent commission designed to investigate sexual abuse of churches in France uncovered a lead that there could be as many as 3,000 child abusers involved in the religious system of the country.

About two-thirds of those suspected are priests, who have worked in the church over the past 70 years, according to reports from the Associated Press citing the insights of the probe.

Also Read: We have been failed: Simone Biles blasts FBI for botching Nassar sex abuse case

Jean March Sauve, the president of the investigating commission, revealed the estimates in an interview conducted by Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Sunday. The probe has been underway for more than 2 years, the full results of which will be unveiled on Tuesday this week.

Sauve said in the interview that the results of the investigation do carry an estimate of the number of victims of child abuse. However, no information was released prematurely in the interview. 

Also Read: Josh Duggar’s lawyers cite ‘intrusion on personal rights’ in child porn case

Sauve, who is a senior civil servant in France, said that the 2500 page report attempts to give an estimate on both the number of victims and offenders, according to reports from AFP.

Asked about the commission’s work investigating child abusers, he said: “We evaluated their number at 3,000, out of 115,00 priests and church people since the 1950s. Two-thirds are diocesan priests.”

Also Read: Indigenous leader appeals to Emmanuel Macron: Save the Amazon

He said 22 cases have been forwarded to prosecutors for alleged crimes that can still be pursued. More than 40 cases of alleged crimes that are too old to be prosecuted but that involve suspects who are still alive have been forwarded to church officials, Sauvé said.

“From 1950 to 1970, the church is completely indifferent to the victims: They don’t exist, the suffering inflicted on children is ignored,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “The periods that followed were different.”, according to reports from Associated Press.

He added: “Our objective is to furnish a concrete diagnosis of all the abuses, to identify the causes and draw all of the consequences.”

(With AP inputs)