Church and world waits to hear from Archbishop de Kerimel

 The article opens with details already presented on this blog.

In an extremely rare, if not unprecedented, occurrence, given that it is generally customary among bishops to respect the autonomy of each individual in their diocese and never to publicly comment on the decisions of a colleague, the Bishop of Viviers, Hervé Giraud, took the opportunity to speak out, on the social network Bluesky and then in the columns of La Vie on July 22, to denounce this appointment: "My first reaction was to think of the victims. Like many others, I was therefore appalled by this appointment. After so many years of awareness, reports including that of the CIASE, how could a guilty priest, even one who had served his sentence, still be appointed to such a position that requires a 'reputation of integrity'?" he wondered at the time.

By posting a message on social media, his goal, he explained, "was not primarily to criticize a colleague but to clearly state that this appointment was unacceptable and untenable." Unacceptable to victims of sexual violence. Untenable, because I don't think it's possible to maintain it as it is."

Collegiality in question

Even today, 20 days after his first message on social media, Hervé Giraud explained to La Vie that he had received "distressing testimonies from victims, signs that this kind of affair rekindles their inner flames. I think this is what Guy de Kerimel failed to understand." He also believes that "one of the many challenges of the next term of the Episcopal Conference will be precisely to agree on a collegiality that is not uniformity, but rather communion in diversity. For me, ecclesial communion comes first, even before a certain episcopal corporatism."

After this statement, which appears to be a disavowal, it remains to be seen how Guy de Kérimel will respond to the "call" from the CEF presidency, and how the "constructive dialogue" suggested by Jean-Marc Aveline and his vice-presidents will end. "Will he ask for forgiveness or at least acknowledge a mistake?" wonders Hervé Giraud. "A simple statement announcing Dominique Spina's resignation would be unacceptable," he already anticipates. Among church figures and observers, many believe that the Archbishop of Toulouse, after several weeks of controversy, should admit a lapse in judgment and not leave the responsibility for resolving the crisis to his chancellor.

Contacted by La Vie, the communications department of the Diocese of Toulouse and Guy de Kérimel have not yet responded. Source