Spina Affair: A Catholic collective wants to send Bishop de Kerimel into retirement. Bishop is also responsible for the scandal-magnet Community of the Beatitudes!
The lessons of restorative justice, mercy, and forgiveness of Bishop de Kerimel, Archbishop of Toulouse, in an attempt to justify his stubbornness, for six weeks, in appointing as chancellor a priest convicted of rape, have not calmed the victims of abuse or his diocesans. A group of faithful has even initiated a petition to retire him:
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SIGN HERE
We are members of the Catholic collective P.A.I.X, which brings together approximately one hundred Catholics committed to social issues in the Church, particularly against sexual and child abuse.
Signing this petition in no way implies membership or closeness to our collective. As Catholics deeply affected by the revelations of the 2021 CIASE report, we can no longer accept that Guy de Kerimel remains bishop due to the disrespect, indecency, and contempt he shows not only to the victims but also to the entire people of God.
Do we really need to recall the charges against Guy de Kerimel, Archbishop of Toulouse? He has undoubtedly been the most high-profile bishop in France since the beginning of July, following his decision to appoint Dominique Spina, a priest convicted of rape of a minor, as Chancellor of the Diocese of Toulouse. This position is considered by the French Bishops' Conference to be "important, both canonically and symbolically."
The victim of this priest testified to the degrading treatment inflicted by Dominique Spina and his lawyers during the 2005 trial: "The defense claimed I was doing all this for the money, which my family lacked. We were indeed not part of the upper-class bourgeoisie of Pau. […] During the trial, Spina even accused me of having frequented prostitutes, and I had to prove in court that I didn't have AIDS!" As Médiapart recalled in an article on the subject, "some of the psychiatric experts had pointed out [during his trial in 2005] a risk of reoffending on the part of the priest."
Dominique Spina appealed the court's decisions before being convicted again on appeal, a decision that demonstrates his inability to grasp the seriousness and irreversible consequences of his actions. All this didn't stop the Bishop of Toulouse from promoting this priest, 20 years after his conviction, to one of the most prestigious positions in the diocese in the name of "mercy."
Neither the massive protest from Catholics of all stripes, nor the extensive media coverage, nor even the exceptional disapproval of the French Bishops' Conference prevented Guy de Kerimel from keeping a priest convicted of child molestation in his post for more than two months. By canceling this appointment on August 16, he in no way erases the seriousness of an attitude that betrays the commitments made by the Catholic Church in France to the victims.
We could have left it at that. But Guy de Kerimel's press release announcing the priest's resignation is the final straw after so many years of breaches of trust by several church leaders. Once again, Guy de Kerimel relegates the victims to the background and prefers to justify his initial decision by distorting the Gospels and Jesus' behavior towards "Matthew the tax collector, Peter the renegade, Paul the criminal, Mary Magdalene the prostitute, and so many others."
He is also the lead bishop for the Community of the Beatitudes, one of the most deviant communities in the Catholic Church, particularly with regard to sexual violence. Mélanie Debrabant, president of the Fraternité victimes association, told the newspaper Le Monde that she had been "contacted by many people who, after speaking to their bishop, did not feel they had been heard." Here is what Guy de Kerimel reportedly said to a victim complaining about his attitude toward the Beatitudes: "Your relentless attack on the community will not bring you the peace you seek." He was heavily criticized for this by the victims' collective CAV Béatitudes.
With such a track record, we refuse to allow Guy de Kerimel to remain in office and propose early retirement, knowing that the scheduled retirement age for a bishop is 75, and he is 72. Three years may seem like a short time, but it's an eternity for a bishop who has shown such an inability to assume his responsibilities.
With this petition, we demand:
A clear position from the French Bishops' Conference on the impact of Guy de Kerimel's continued tenure on all those—victims or not—who are hurt and angry about these decisions and statements.
Guy de Kerimel's early retirement in the coming months.
It is high time to make our voices heard.
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