Archbishop Attempts to Justify Homosexual Rapist as Chancellor
Archbishop Kérimel has become known for his brutality towards Catholics. He ordered seminarians to stop wearing cassocks and expelled the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter from his former Diocese of Grenoble-Vienne.
Abbé Spina was convicted in 2006 for raping a male teenager under his spiritual care in the 1990s. He was sentenced to five years in prison, with one year suspended.
In his recent letter, Archbishop Kérimel downplayed the crime: "Rape is a crime, and there is no question of relativising a crime."
The archbishop attempted to deflect blame by stating that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had ruled that Abbé Spina had not been dismissed from the clerical state and was therefore still permitted to perform "a" ministry.
He recalled that Abbé Spina had served as an archdiocesan archivist and vice-chancellor in recent years, overseeing matters such as baptism and marriage notifications.
"After the current chancellor's resignation, I decided to maintain continuity of mission and appoint Abbé Spina as chancellor, while retaining his work in the archives," wrote Kérimel.
Canon law demands that chancellors must be "of unimpaired reputation and above all suspicion".
However, Kérimel continued: "Is it possible to show mercy to a priest who sinned gravely 30 years ago and has since demonstrated self-sacrifice and integrity in his service, as well as in his relationships with his superiors and fellow priests?"
Fittingly, the archbishop referred to Pope Francis’ understanding of "mercy".
Picture: KTO, #newsFebgfmfraf