AKIPRESS.COM - An independent panel aimed at documenting cases of pedophilia in Poland’s Catholic Church will be set up early next year to help victims speak up and claim damages, opposition parliamentarians said on Monday, Reuters reports.

The Roman Catholic Church worldwide is reeling from crises involving sexual abuse of minors, deeply damaging confidence in the Church in Chile, the United States, Australia and Ireland among other countries.

In stark contrast, in Poland, a deeply Catholic country, debate has only just begun while activists close to the nascent anti-pedophilia project, called “Nie lekajcie sie” (Don’t Be Afraid), say that around 600 priests in Poland may have inclinations towards pedophilia.

Around 100 people claiming to have been sexually molested by Polish priests phoned to tell their stories in the first 24 hours after organizers of the panel posted an interactive pedophilia map on the Internet on Sunday.

“The map of pedophilia was viewed by 500,000 people since yesterday. Public discussion has started and we want to set up a panel early next year to tackle the issue,” Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, an opposition MP, told Reuters TV.

The map documents 280 cases of pedophilia committed by 60 priests convicted by Polish courts, but according to activists the real numbers are much higher since victims are often afraid to speak up for psychological and social reasons.