During a conference in Lourdes, the president of the Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) announced that 11 bishops or former dignitaries were “implicated”, including Jean-Pierre Ricard, ex-archbishop of Bordeaux.
New scandal in the Church. This Monday, November 7, 2022 during a press briefing of the Conference of Bishops of France organized in Lourdes, Jean-Pierre Ricard, ex-archbishop of Bordeaux, testified to his guilt through a letter. It was Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the CEF who read this press release admitting the “reprehensible” act he committed on a 14-year-old girl when he was parish priest. Born in Marseille in 1944, he was appointed archbishop of the diocese of Bordeaux in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. The 78-year-old man who said he “no longer wanted to hide his responsibility” also said he had “asked forgiveness” from his victim.
During this conference, the president of the CEF underlined that “this confession by Cardinal Ricard, we bishops, received it as a shock”; specifying also to imagine “the amazement of the diocesan and of all the Catholics of France” he underlined. The sexual violence that was committed by Jean-Pierre Ricard 35 years ago “was the subject of a report to the prosecutor” assured Eric de Moulins-Beaufort.
11 churchmen “implicated”
This sexual abuse of a minor is not the only one to have been revealed during this conference; indeed, in addition to Jean-Pierre Ricard, ten other men of the Church are “implicated”. During this conference, the president specified that six of the bishops were implicated before the French courts or before the law of the Church. Two other people who are no longer part of the Church are also under investigation. The president also pointed out during this conference that a third person was “the subject of a report to the prosecutor to which no response has been given to date and has received from the Holy See restrictive measures from his ministry. “. To this list is added Mgr Michel Santier, this former bishop of Créteil had been sanctioned by the Vatican in October 2021 for having asked two adult men to undress for each sin committed.