France: Pius X Priest on Trial
He is accused of indecently touching minors in the context of his work with young people in France between 2003 and 2006, and then within a family in 2013 and 2018.
The accused said he had "always fought against this attraction" and, perhaps in an attempt to blame others for his actions, claimed to have alerted the Fraternity on several occasions as early as 1998.
However, according to the Fraternity, it was not until 2014 that the priest's ambiguous and inappropriate behaviour was brought to their attention. The superiors immediately removed the priest from his apostolate. Since then he has been subject to appropriate disciplinary control within the fraternity.
In 2019, when the superiors of the fraternity learned of the existence of offences under the jurisdiction of the courts, they reported them to the police and strengthened the disciplinary supervision.
The acts ("touching in the shower", "massages") were committed when the person had authority as a school director, teacher or scout camp leader and took place in France, Switzerland and Spain. The man, who now lives in a monastery near Gap, has been under psychiatric care since 2019.
The prosecution has asked for a four-year suspended sentence, accompanied by a treatment order and a permanent ban on working with minors. The case was adjourned by the Gap Criminal Court until 6 June 2024.
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