Priest artist used children as models for his stained glass work and then abused them. Some of the works remain in place

Ribes affair: in addition to Givors, there are still some stained glass windows in place

It is not only in Givors that there are still works of art by Father Ribes - of whom more than 70 victims are still alive, in the three dioceses of Grenoble-Vienne, Saint-Etienne and Lyon - even if most parishes and municipalities have removed them. In Givors, the left-wing mayor has appealed to the Pope rather than take a decision on a desecrated chapel, while the victims of the artist priest have launched a petition for their removal.

On 18 April, La Croix reported on the last remaining works to be removed, mainly stained glass windows: "There are still about forty in the Lyon region in six churches, five of which belong to the municipalities. The Diocese has undertaken to pay the cost of removing the stained glass windows and reinstalling replacement works.

This is the case in particular of Sainte-Catherine (8 stained glass windows) and Loire-sur-Rhône (1 stained glass window), according to the collective of the victims of Father Ribes, which drew up a progress report last February.

A stained glass window depicting the lives of St. Como and St. Damian remains in place in the church of the same name in Caluire-et-Cuire, owned by the bishopric. Discussions for its removal are underway". According to the local co-operative, this Church is currently sublet to Orthodox Christians.

Will the old stained glass windows be re-installed in Charly? 

In Charly, a suburb of Lyon, the municipality finally agreed in late January 2023 to the removal of eleven stained glass windows in St. Anthony's Church, at the request of the victims. The town hall announced the removal of the windows on 24 January, but the victims' collective returned to the matter at the end of March, impatient to hear no more news. The town hall then explained that the windows would be removed, that craftsmen had been found, that consultations had been launched with residents and parishioners on the new windows, and that old windows - before Father Ribes' windows were installed - had been found, notably at the Fourvière museum.

Two stained glass windows still in place at Dième

In addition, "two stained glass windows remain in the nave of the Church of Saint-François d'Assise in Dième, a small village in the Beaujolais mountains, one representing the Annunciation, the other the patron saint of the parish. While the mayor of the commune has already erased the artist's signature, in February 2023 the collective of Father Ribes' victims reiterated its demand for the complete removal of the works.

"If we don't release the pressure, the Diocese of Lyon won't do much"

Last February, the victims of Father Ribes - who are demanding the removal and destruction of Father Ribes' artworks in churches, because the abusive priest used to pose children he abused to make them - explained that the Diocese of Lyon is rushing along sluggishly, and rather for the wrong reasons - for fear of media hype more than for a desire to do justice to the victims.

However, the auxiliary bishop of Lyon, Mgr Gobilliard, had explained at the time that these works, whose creation implies abuse and a mechanism of control over the victims and their relatives - Father Ribes did not hesitate to sell them paintings made after their rape - "are not art" and must be withdrawn - but he has been appointed bishop of Digne, and is therefore no longer there to follow the case.

"Things are moving forward, but slowly, because there is a fundamental debate between the man and the artist. It is also moving forward because commitments have been made by the diocese, but it is being done very slowly and the victims have to put a lot of energy into it. It is progressing because they are being shamed by petitions and also because we are managing to get into churches and film the stained glass windows with Ribes' signature.

Even though the diocese recognises that Louis Ribes was a paedo-criminal priest, one could imagine that things would go faster. But it's certain that we won't let up the pressure because if we don't do the work behind the scenes, nothing much will happen", summarises the co-founder of Be Brave, who nevertheless understands that it takes time.

As for the works of art, "there is no factual evidence to suggest that they have been destroyed," he continues. We know that the church has kept works in certain places. Why keep them? Does that mean they will be brought out again at some point? There are also reports that some works have been destroyed, but we don't know. We don't even know how many there are, whereas the diocese could very well communicate on the works listed and those that it has destroyed. Better still, it could invite the victims and destroy them in front of them. Given the man's Machiavellian process, the least he could do is to take the art back and smash it.

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