Head of French bishops holds public meetings on sex abuse

The atmosphere in the room was tense when the lights came back on.

In a parish hall in the Archdiocese of Rheim in Northeastern France some 40 or so people had just watched a video of the stage play Pardon? 

It’s about the torments of a man who, as a child, was sexually abused by a priest. 

The play was written and performed by Laurent Martinez, himself a childhood victim of clergy sex abuse.

This parish is in Pouru-Saint-Remy, a small town of about a thousand inhabitants located a few kilometers from the Belgian border. 

And the film, which was shown on September 22, was part of the meeting with Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort to talk about sexual abuse in the Church.

The 59-year-old archbishop, who is also president of the Episcopal Conference of France (CEF), had already held four other such meetings with Catholics in other parts of his archdiocese.

Before the assembled people for this fifth and final meeting, his tone was serious.

"Though for a time we in France thought we were spared from this scourge, we had to face the facts: there are serious and numerous cases of abuse committed by priests," he said.

He decided to hold the parish meeting to prepare people for the final report that the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) will released on October 5. 

He warned that the figures will be "quite alarming".

"A cancer long ignored"

The people attending this public meeting -- all retirees, with only one or two exceptions -- said this was a welcomed initiative, despite the heaviness of the subject.

"As parishioners, but also as parents and grandparents, it is a duty to receive such a slap in the face. For too long the subject has been ignored," acknowledged Monique, a woman in her seventies.

"It's a kind of cancer in the Church," said another woman named Marie-Ange.

"For a long time, the disease was ignored, and now the treatment is difficult. But this is the only chance to get out of it," she said.

During this "trying" evening, Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort did not evade any of the questions.

Independently, he addressed the question of the training of priests, a subject present in many minds, as the murmurs of approval demonstrated.

"We have made a lot of progress, but we still need to advance further in order to integrate the ability to talk about sexuality and not just submit to it," he said.

He was also asked about the statute of limitations for acts of sexual abuse. 

"We now know that it is never up to the citizen to decide that the statute of limitations has expired," he said. 

It was an allusion to what Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, former Archbishop of Lyon, was rightly convicted of doing.

Why forgive?

But the main purpose of the public meetings was not meant to be a question-and-answer session with the archbishop. 

Rather it was to encourage everyone to become aware of sexual abuse and to promise to listen attentively to anyone who might need it.

Choosing to go to Pouru-Saint-Remy was not by chance.

"We've had problems of this kind here," said one of those present.

Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort, who was an auxiliary bishop in Paris for 10 years before being named to Rheims in 2018, half-heartedly confirmed this.

"It is important to get closer, to make the effort of getting as close as possible," he said.

That evening, no one came forward to speak about being abused as a child -- only Laurent Martinez who appeared via video.

But there was one question that stood out in the audience.

"What sense is there in forgiving when the acts took place more than 60 years ago and the aggressor died 30 years ago?" someone said.

The voice broke and the questioner began to sob.

"Vigilance without paranoia"

"There is such suffering among children that we cannot remain indifferent," said Dr. Jacotot, who runs the archdiocese’s abuse hotline.

"These meetings help raise awareness among everyone," the doctor said.

Another instrument that makes these cases concrete is the Church of France's fund to pay an amount in recognition of the suffering of the victims. 

It should be "operational in a few days", according to the archbishop.

He took the opportunity to ask for assistance, explaining that the bishops have committed to pay into the fund, but that the dioceses cannot do so.

"If you want, you can take that amount out of your regular contribution,” he suggested.

Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort said he had only one regret about how the five public meetings had gone. 

"No matter where we were, there were few parents of children who are in the relevant age range," he said.

He insisted that prevention is everyone's business. And he strongly urged "vigilance without paranoia", including towards priests.