The Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, implicated for having had an ambiguous relationship with a woman, presented his resignation to the Pope. General practitioner, late vocation, Mgr Aupetit was ordained priest at 44 years old. He was bishop of Nanterre before replacing Cardinal André Vingt-Trois in Paris, of which he was one of the close collaborators.
This resignation request follows magazine revelations Point concerning an old relationship that Bishop Aupetit would have had with a woman. Cautious, the diocese of Paris evokes an ambiguous relationship, but specifies that it was not a romantic relationship or a sexual relationship.
The Archbishop of Paris was moreover open to his hierarchy at the material time, in 2012. At the head of the most important diocese in France, Bishop Michel Aupetit recognizes for his part a behavior vis-à-vis this woman which could imply the existence of an intimate and sexual relationship, which he strongly refutes.
The diocese insists: the resignation request of Mgr Aupetit is not an admission of guilt, but a gesture of humility. Only the Pope can decide to accept the resignation.
The Pope is not used to reacting under pressure in these areas. He had demonstrated it during the Barbarin affair, initially refusing his resignation. But the records are not comparable. Francis can however make a quick decision, because he alone appoints the bishops and he alone has the power to remove this office from them.