French bishops ask that paedophile priest not be promoted
Spina was sentenced in 2006 to five years in prison, one of which was suspended, for the rape of a 16-year-old high school student in 1993.
"Such an appointment to such an important position, both canonically and symbolically, can only reopen wounds, reawaken suspicions, and disconcert the people of God," the presidency of the French Bishops' Conference said in a statement Sunday.
The archbishop said he had "taken the side of mercy" in appointing the priest, whom he had "nothing to reproach", to an "administrative position".
The decision has sparked outrage, with several victims' groups expressing their "anger" at an "unacceptable" situation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
7 days ago
- Local France
French bishops ask that paedophile priest not be promoted
At the beginning of June, the Archbishop of Toulouse, Guy de Kerimel, sparked a heated debate in a country, already scandalised by revelations of paedophilia within the Catholic Church, by promoting priest Dominique Spina to the post of chancellor in the southern city. Spina was sentenced in 2006 to five years in prison, one of which was suspended, for the rape of a 16-year-old high school student in 1993. "Such an appointment to such an important position, both canonically and symbolically, can only reopen wounds, reawaken suspicions, and disconcert the people of God," the presidency of the French Bishops' Conference said in a statement Sunday. The archbishop said he had "taken the side of mercy" in appointing the priest, whom he had "nothing to reproach", to an "administrative position". The decision has sparked outrage, with several victims' groups expressing their "anger" at an "unacceptable" situation.
Euronews
01-08-2025
- Euronews
Vatican strikes solar farm deal to become first carbon neutral state
Italy agreed Thursday to a Vatican plan to turn a 430-hectare field north of Rome, once the source of controversy between the two, into a vast solar farm. The Holy See hopes it will generate enough electricity to meet its needs and turn Vatican City into the world's first carbon-neutral state. The agreement stipulates that the development of the Santa Maria Galeria site will preserve the agricultural use of the land and minimise the environmental impact on the territory, according to a Vatican statement. Further details weren't released, but the Vatican will be exempt from paying Italian taxes to import the solar panels and won't benefit from the financial incentives that Italians enjoy when they go solar. Italy, for its part, can use the field in its accounting for reaching European Union clean energy targets. Any excess electricity generated by the farm beyond the Vatican's needs would be given to the local community, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not public. Vatican officials have estimated it will cost under €100 million to develop the solar farm, and that once it is approved by the Italian parliament, the contracts to do the work could be put up for bids. Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher signed the agreement with Italy's ambassador to the Holy See, Francesco Di Nitto. The Italian parliament must approve the arrangement since it has financial implications for the territory, which holds extraterritorial status in Italy. Where will the Vatican's solar farm be located? The Santa Maria Galeria site has long been the source of controversy because of electromagnetic waves emitted by Vatican Radio towers located there since the 1950s. The once-rural site, some 35 kilometres north of Rome is dominated by two dozen short- and medium-wave radio antennae that transmit news from the Catholic Church in dozens of languages around the globe. Over the years, as the area became more developed, residents began complaining of health problems, including instances of childhood leukaemia, which they blamed on the electromagnetic waves generated by the towers. The Vatican denied there was any causal link, but cut back the transmissions. In the 1990s, at the height of the controversy over the radio towers, residents sued Vatican Radio officials, claiming the emissions exceeded the Italian legal limit, but the court cleared the transmitter. In 2012, the Vatican announced it was cutting in half the hours of transmission from the site, not because of health concerns but because of cost-saving technological advances in internet broadcasting. Pope Francis last year asked the Vatican to study developing the area into a vast solar farm, hoping to put into practice his preaching about the need to transition away from fossil fuels and find clean, carbon-neutral energy sources. Pope Leo XIV visited the site in June and affirmed that he intended to see Francis' vision through. Leo has strongly taken up Francis' ecological mantle, recently using a new set of prayers and readings inspired by Pope Francis' environmental legacy.
France 24
29-07-2025
- France 24
Tens of thousands in Rome for Vatican's Jubilee of Youth
The mass gathering is taking place just over two months after Leo XIV became the head of the Catholic Church and the first American pope. Since Monday, groups of pilgrims -- chanting and draped in flags of their countries -- have flooded the streets of Italy's capital and the corners of the Vatican City. An opening mass is scheduled at St Peter's Basilica later on Tuesday at 1700 GMT. The Vatican had last week said it expected some half a million people from more than 150 countries to take part in the youth events -- that are dedicated to faith and culture. The week will culminate with a giant mass led by Pope Leo on Sunday. The Jubilee of Youth is aimed at young people aged between 18 and 35. Pilgrims AFP spoke to said topics they most wanted to discuss at the events were wars, climate change, social inequalities and the dangers linked to AI. "The most important topic for me is war. Everyone is talking about it, thinking about it, and we want to know what the pope thinks about it and what he expects from us," 25-year-old Tiago Santos, a pilgrim from Portugal, told AFP. The event is taking place as tens of thousands have been killed in Gaza after almost two years of war with Israel and as UN groups warn of spreading starvation in the blocked territory. In Ukraine, Russia's almost 3.5-year invasion has killed thousands, with Moscow continuing deadly attacks despite Western pressure to end its campaign. For Teophanie Nasta, a 26-year-old Lebanese pilgrim who left her country for the first time, said that -- despite the conflicts in the Middle East -- she was filled with "faith in humanity by seeing so many young people" gathered for the church. In an unprecedented move, the Vatican decided to dedicated a series of events to Catholic influencers -- a sign of growing importance of social media for the church. Speaking to them on Tuesday morning, Pope Leo warned against the dangers of undermining "human dignity" in the AI era.
