Cases of sexual abuse continue to shake the Church. Lhe Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard admitted to having “misconduct with a 14-year-old girl”, in a letter read Monday, November 7 by Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, the president of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF). The facts, according to the former Archbishop of Bordeaux from 2001 to 2019, took place “35 years ago, so [qu’il] was priest”. On Tuesday, the Marseille prosecutor’s office announced the opening of a preliminary investigation. Explanations.
Jean-Pierre Ricard asks “pardon”
The letter addressed to the episcopate by Jean-Pierre Ricard was consulted on Sunday by the Conference of Bishops of France, which meets twice a year in Lourdes, in the spring and in the fall. She’s the reason, explain The Parisianthe organization of a press conference “improvised” at the last minute, on the subject of sexual abuse in the Church.
In addition to his confessions, Jean-Pierre Ricard affirms in his letter to have decided to “to make available to justice both at the level of society and that of the Church”. He asked “sorry” to this victim and recognizing “must have caused serious and lasting consequences to that person”. This confession by the 78-year-old cardinal, who retired in October 2019, was accepted “like a shock”underlined the president of the CEF.
Jean-Pierre Ricard, figure of the French episcopate, had moreover presided over the institution between 2001 and 2008. The former bishop of Bordeaux, appointed cardinal in 2006 by Benedict XVI, is even, as explained The world, “member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, a sort of ministry of the Holy See, in Rome, responsible in particular for questions of sexual violence”.
Court opens preliminary investigation
After Cardinal Ricard’s confession, the Marseille prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday that it had opened a preliminary investigation. “in order to first verify the exact nature of the facts denounced, as well as their dating”. At this stage, no complaint has been filed, said prosecutor Dominique Laurens.
The reason for the preliminary investigation is that of “aggravated sexual assault”. According to the Marseille public prosecutor’s office, the Bishop of Nice had taken legal action on October 24 in the case of Cardinal Ricard. The latter would have admitted to Jean-Philippe Nault having “kissed” the girl mentioned in his confession.
Ten other bishops are implicated
The case of Jean-Pierre Ricard is not isolated. During the press conference, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort mentioned “six cases” former bishops “who have been implicated before the justice of our country or before canonical justice”pointing out that these cases were “known” of the press. One of them is “deceased” since then, clarified the CEF, specifying that it was Pierre Pican, sentenced for non-denunciation and death in 2018.
To these six cases are added four other cases. Michel Santier was thus sanctioned in 2021 by the Vatican for “spiritual abuse leading to voyeurism on two adult men”, whose sanction was revealed in mid-October. Two other retired bishops “are the subject of investigations (…) after reports made by a bishop and a canonical procedure”. A last “is the subject of a report to the prosecutor to which no response has been given to date”said the president of the Conference of Bishops of France.
In total, eleven former bishops are therefore concerned: “eight currently indicted for abuse, including [Jean-Pierre] Richard and [Michel] Santier” and two more “implicated for non-disclosure”, according to the CEF. André Fort was sentenced in 2018 to an eight-month suspended prison sentence, and the other, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, was released on appeal by the courts in 2020.
Victims and faithful say they are shocked
The reactions stunned by the confessions of Jean-Pierre Ricard have multiplied. Olivier Savignac, president of the group of victims Parler et revivre, claims to be “shaken by the revelations”. “There are many things hidden. How many more will come out?” he wondered. Cécile Berne, president of the association Like a loving mother, told the World be “in a state of shock” because she does ‘didn’t expect the governing apparatus to be so undermined’.
“Eleven people implicated, that represents 6% of all the bishops…”
Cécile Berne, president of the association Like a loving motherin the world”
“It’s a new tsunami. We didn’t think that so many bishops could be affected”reacted Marie-Jo Thiel, professor of ethics at the Faculty of Theology of Strasbourg, in The cross. For her part, Véronique Margron, president of the Conference of Religious of France, told the magazine Life of his “intense sense of betrayal”. In a press release, the Archbishop of Bordeaux, Jean-Paul James, expressed his “great sympathy to the victim concerned”.