An official inquiry into the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland has identified nearly 1,000 cases of sexual abuse since 1950.
The report said many involved children and 56 per cent of the victims were male.
Researchers from the University of Zurich also found evidence of a widespread cover up.
The report was compiled following a year-long investigation which was commissioned by Church authorities.
They were given access to Church archives and also held interviews with several people, including those affected by sexual abuse.
The researchers also found evidence that records had been destroyed at two dioceses and that not all reported cases of sexual abuse were written down and consequently archived.
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