Six French Religious of Roman Rite to Appear in Court

Six members of the Congrégation de Riaumont are due to appear in court on 14 April at the criminal court in Béthune. The case involves alleged violence against minors from 2007 to 2019.
The hearing will initially take place before a single judge. However, prosecutors are expected to request that the case be transferred to a panel of judges, citing the complexity of the proceedings. According to lawyer Étienne Thieffry, the first hearing will likely focus primarily on procedural questions.
The Congrégation de Riaumont is a religious community founded in the 1960s in northern France, centered on a boarding school for boys. Its members are oblates associated with the Benedictine Abbey of Fontgombault that follows the Roman rite.
Nature of the Charges
The six accused men - including three priests, one of whom is the community’s former prior, Alain Hocquemiller - are charged under French law with “violence against minors under fifteen by a person in a position of authority.”
Prosecutors …More