More than 10,000 children have fallen victim to pedophile clergy in France since 1950, AFP reported.

Some 3,000 pedophiles have operated inside the French Catholic Church since 1950, the head of an independent commission investigating the scandal told AFP days ahead of the release of its report.

The commission's research uncovered between 2,900 and 3,200 pedophile priests or other members of the church, said Jean-Marc Sauve, adding that it was "a minimum estimate."

The commission's report is due to be released on Tuesday after two and a half years of research based on church, court and police archives, as well as interviews with witnesses.