Archbishop of Toulouse, when Bishop of Grenoble welcomed Bishop to his Diocese who resigned after displaying "inappropriate" attitudes to adolescents

 Inappropriate Attitudes: The Bishop of Grenoble Defends the Former Bishop of Dax

The Bishop of Grenoble, Guy de Kerimel, takes up his pen to "put an end to possible rumors or confusion" about the arrival in his diocese of the former Bishop of Dax (Landes), who resigned for having displayed "inappropriate" attitudes to adolescents.

In a letter revealed this Tuesday, November 21, Bishop de Kerimel addressed the priests, deacons, and lay faithful of the Diocese of Grenoble-Vienne.

"On November 8, I welcomed with confidence Bishop Hervé Gaschignard, Bishop Emeritus of Aire and Dax. He was not transferred to Grenoble as we have read, but it was I who invited him to come, with the agreement of Rome."

"Bishop Gaschignard has never been accused or even suspected of acts of pedophilia, and I am outraged by those who might imply this. What he was accused of (...) was having an inappropriate attitude towards young people. He and I both heard this criticism," the bishop continued.

"However, the public prosecutor who had been assigned the case dismissed the proceedings. In legal terms, this means that he believes that the facts brought to his attention do not constitute a criminal offense; no legally reprehensible element was found. "Associating his name with the tragedy of pedophilia is slander and defamation," he concluded.

In June, an investigation was closed by the Dax prosecutor's office, which confirmed the existence of inappropriate gestures and words towards adolescents by Bishop Gaschignard, while specifying that none of them constituted criminal offenses.

However, the 57-year-old bishop was forced to resign in April due to "inappropriate pastoral attitudes" towards young people, according to the French Bishops' Conference, an exceptional decision by the Catholic hierarchy.

Last Wednesday, the Vatican announced the appointment of a new bishop, Bishop Nicolas Souchu, to the Diocese of Dax.

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