The president of the Conference of Bishops of France, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, admitted Tuesday that he was informed of the case concerning Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop Emeritus of Bordeaux, from February.
by Sarah Belouezane
The exercise was difficult. After having to improvise, Monday, November 7, a press conference to read the confession letter from Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop Emeritus de Bordeaux, in which the latter admits a “conduct (…) reprehensible with a young girl of 14” , Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, archbishop of Reims, again spoke on Tuesday to close the plenary of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF), which he presides, in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées). Earlier in the day, the Marseille prosecutor’s office had also announced that a preliminary investigation for “aggravated sexual assault” had been opened against Cardinal Ricard.
Eric de Moulins-Beaufort presented measures desired by the CEF to better fight against sexual violence. The list of business affecting the highest executives in the Church of France, unveiled on Monday, is long. In addition to the Ricard affair, the institution is also struggling with the Michel Santier scandal, named after the bishop emeritus of Créteil, whose case has long been kept secret before being revealed by the press. In all, eleven bishops are or have been questioned in assault cases.
Among the notable measures, the CEF announces the creation of a “follow -up council”, a body whose vocation will be to help the bishops responsible for an aggression file: many would indeed feel too alone in the management of this type of procedures. “This council will accompany them in monitoring the case, advising them on how to understand the facts, to make them known to the judicial authorities and to the Holy See, and on the possibly necessary protective measures”, writes the CEF in a Communiqué.
The bishops also decided to send a delegation to Rome in order to discuss monitoring and measures to be taken in France with members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, a sort of ministry responsible in particular of these subjects to Saint-Siège.
Concentration printing
that’s for actions. But Tuesday also brought new revelations on the chronology of the Ricard affair. Questioned, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort has admitted to being aware since February. He was warned by Véronique Margron, president of the Conference of Religious and Religious of France, herself informed by the victim just before. According to the Marseille justice mentioned by AFP, the bishop of Nice, Jean-Philippe Nault, made a report to justice on October 24, after his predecessor André Marceau was seized of the file in February. What accredit the impression of a concealment.
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