Gathered in Lourdes since Thursday, November 3, the 120 members of the Conference of Bishops of France are seeking to establish more transparency in cases of sexual violence.
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Eleven bishops or former bishops have been “in question” before the civil justice or the justice of the Church for reports. Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, the president of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF), announced it Monday, November 7 during a press briefing in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées). Among the personalities concerned, the Archbishop of Reims revealed the case of Jean-Pierre Ricard, former Bishop of Bordeaux. The latter acknowledged in a letter conduct “objectionable” on a minor of 14 years.
In the text, read by the president of the CEF during the press briefing, Jean-Pierre Ricard assures that the facts occurred, “35 years ago, when I was a priest”. The former bishop claims to have “request forgiveness” to his victim and to be “explained with her.”, as reported by France Bleu Gironde. Gathered in the autumn plenary assembly, the 120 members of the CEF intend to improve communication and transparency on the measures taken against clerics implicated in cases of sexual violence.
Among those implicated is Michel Santier, former bishop of Créteil, sanctioned in 2021 by the Vatican authorities for “spiritual abuse leading to voyeurism on two adult men” in the 1990s. The silence surrounding its sanction has in recent weeks provoked great anger among Catholics and groups of victims.
In addition, investigations target two other personalities, “after reports made by a bishop and a canonical procedure; a third is the subject of a report to the prosecutor to which no response has been given to date and has received from the Holy See measures restricting his ministry”, underlined Eric de Moulins-Beaufort. Without going into details, the president of the CEF insisted “on the great diversity of situations, facts committed or alleged”.