The bishops of France meet in Lourdes
From Tuesday to Friday, the bishops will discuss next steps after the shocking report on pedocracy in the church. They will also elect the next president.
According to several sources, the Archbishop of Reims, if not unsurprisingly, should be reappointed for the second time in three years.
Keystone / David Goldman
The Catholic bishops will meet in Lourdes from Tuesday to Friday to discuss the continuation of the work. Jean-Marc Sauvé’s shock statement On pedocracy in the church, and pursuing their presidential election.
At its previous session, in November, a month after the Episcopal Conference of France (CEF) approved the decisions of the Independent Commission on Sex, the latter recognized the “institutional responsibility” of the Church for the acts pedophiles and their “own nature”. ”. Church abuse (cias) led by Jean-Marc Chau, who has documented the scale of the event for over 70 years.
The pastor announced a series of measures, including the creation of an independent structure responsible for compensating the victims.
Compensation for victims
The Independent National Commission for Recognition and Compensation (Inirr) opened a website in mid-February to receive the first files of lay people attacked by priests or in various churches (outside churches) for weeks. Child.
Its president, jurist Mary Terrain of Vaughan, will present Wednesday the operation of its structure to about 120 bishops.
Also arriving is Gilles Vermont-Desros, head of the Child Abuse Relief and Combat Fund (SEAL), created by the Episcopal Conference last year, tasked with raising funds for future claims for financial compensation. Inirr.
At the end of January, Gilles Vermont-Tesrochs announced in November that he had received the 20 million euros promised by the president of the CEF Eric de Moulins-Beaufort. movable and immovable property), personal donations from bishops and priests, and donations from individuals.
Deepen the Sauvé report
In November, the bishops announced the establishment of nine task forces to pursue some of the recommendations of the Chavez report, under the responsibility of ordinary people, but of the clergy within them.
These groups include “sharing good habits in dealing with reported cases”, professional and “training of future priests”, “approval and spiritual support”, “awareness and control”, “awareness and control” of groups leading the general life, and the support of the clergy. And the bishops in their functions.
Hervey Balladur, the coordinator of these groups, and an ordinary man well versed in the inner workings of the soon-to-retire Church will be there on Wednesday to present an outline of his work. The CEF gave the teams a year to report their findings.
Towards the second term
Also on the menu: Election of the President of the CEF. Bishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, 60, concludes his first edict. According to several sources, the Archbishop of Reims, recognized for his work of raising awareness of his colleagues in the file of pedocrime, should, unsurprisingly, be renewed a second time every three years.
It should be noted that no one submitted a candidacy during this election. The results of the referendum will be announced on Thursday.
Unless the head of the CEF is the head of the Catholic Church in France – each bishop is master in his diocese under the authority of the pope – he nevertheless includes the first confession of France with the authorities and the people.
In addition, the first three and a half days of the session will be devoted to secular, Protestant and Orthodox guests dedicated to the theme of “integrated ecology” dear to Pope Francis. The plenary session ends with a speech by the President on Friday morning.
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