Pope Francis expressed “shame” for himself and the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday for the scale of child sexual abuse within the church in France and acknowledged failures in putting the needs of victims first.

The pope spoke during his regular audience at the Vatican about a report released on Tuesday that estimated some 330,000 French children were abused by clergy and other church authority figures dating back to 1950.

“There is, unfortunately, a considerable number.

“I would like to express to the victims my sadness and pain for the trauma that they suffered,’’ Francis said.

“It is also my shame, our shame, my shame, for the incapacity of the church for too long to put them at the centre of its concerns.”

He called on all bishops and religious superiors to take all action necessary “so similar dramas are not repeated”.

The pope also expressed his “closeness and paternal support” to French priests in the face of a “difficult test”, and called on French Catholics to “ensure that the church remains a safe house for all”.