Archbishop is totally deaf to the cries of pain of the victim of his newly appointed Diocesan Chancellor

"This promotion is shocking, as are the Archbishop's justifications," says Father Spina's victim

The case is causing a stir within the diocese of Toulouse. A priest, convicted twenty years ago for the rape of a minor, has just been appointed chancellor. Despite criticism, the Archbishop stands by his decision, causing incomprehension among Father Spina's victim.

It is a "silent shock" that regularly returns to haunt the present: that of the rapes suffered more than thirty years ago. Frédéric* has been confronted with this situation again for several days, despite himself, since his attacker's name appeared in the press again. On June 2nd, Father Dominique Spina was appointed chancellor and episcopal delegate for marriages for the Diocese of Toulouse. This administrative position, with no contact with minors, is nevertheless more important than the one previously held by Dominique Spina, who had been assigned to the discreet archives department for nearly ten years.

A conviction upheld on appeal

This appointment is being discussed because Dominique Spina's name is well known to those interested in the issue of sexual abuse within the Church. He was sentenced by the Pau Assize Court in 2005 to five years in prison, one of which was suspended, a sentence upheld on appeal by the Tarbes Assize Court in 2006. He was found guilty of rape committed in 1993 against Frédéric, whom he met while he was a chaplain and diocesan director of vocations in Pau.

For Frédéric, 16 at the time of the events, was considering a priestly career. He was then a student at Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram. His spiritual director was Father Carricart, the school's director, now deceased and implicated in sexual violence against students, including Frédéric, who has just filed a complaint against him. "Both used their clerical positions to exert this pattern of control and obtain the silence they were expecting from me," he analyzes today. It was Father Carricart who introduced the teenager to Father Spina.

At the time of the first trial in 2005, the issue of sexual abuse within the Church had not yet truly emerged. But Frédéric refused to go behind closed doors to make his story heard. He bitterly regretted it, as the hearing was so harsh in the face of Dominique Spina's supporters. The appeal trial would not be public.

Ten years later, Frédéric saw the priest's name resurface again. Dominique Spina was granted conditional release at the end of 2007. Mediapart revealed that the priest, previously incardinated in the Diocese of Bayonne, had been transferred to the Diocese of Toulouse, heading the pastoral care of Fronton-Bouloc-Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds, a group of seven churches. In the midst of the Preynat-Barbarin affair, the news caused a scandal, and Dominique Spina was forced to resign from his duties.

"There is a form of religious insularity."

Nearly ten years later, Frédéric once again faced this "silent shock" upon learning of his attacker's appointment as Chancellor of the Diocese of Toulouse. An appointment that was "inappropriate and shocking," he believes: "There is a form of complacency, of religious insularity that persists, where people who have abused their positions to commit crimes continue to advance in their clerical careers, in this case, holding important positions in the Church. There is a growing awareness, it must not be denied, but we see that it is still far from being widespread."

As much as the appointment, it was the statement from the Archbishop of Toulouse, Guy de Kérimel, that moved Frédéric. In it, the Archbishop mentioned the risk of the priest's "social death," urged victims to "move forward," and called for "mercy."

"There are two shocking things in this press release," Frédéric protests. "The first is his injunction to the victim: 'she must move forward to rebuild her life.' But rebuilding after rape is something that cannot be decreed; it's not up to the Archbishop of Toulouse to tell us that we must move forward. Furthermore, he talks about preventing the social death of a priest. I think he tends to forget the personal and lasting destruction that victims experience. There remains a lack of understanding of the impact of this abuse on the victims."

Frédéric is not the only one to resent the decision of the Diocese of Toulouse. Ten victims' groups, including Notre-Dame de Bétharram, also published a press release (before Guy de Kérimel's) expressing their indignation at Dominique Spina's appointment. "This unacceptable situation shows a blatant lack of respect for the victims and their families", they wrote. "Worse still, this situation shows that, despite a stated desire to combat violence against minors, the Church in France continues to protect predators, even convicted ones, and even goes so far as to promote them."

*The first name has been changed at the request of the person concerned.

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