Irony of the calendar: while the Sauvé commission was preparing to submit its report on child crime in the Church, seven victims of the former priest Bernard Preynat learned that they would not obtain financial reparations from the diocese of Lyon.
The reason ?
They have already been compensated in civil or should be by the State Guarantee Fund, responds the ecclesiastical court in "its sentence" that
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has obtained.
Because "no one can be punished criminally for the same facts by two different jurisdictions", he argues.
“Since a first conviction has already been pronounced [by the Lyon Criminal Court], there cannot be a second conviction.
This is not a will on our part but a fundamental principle of international law.
Civil justice takes precedence over canonical justice ", indicates to
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the diocese of Lyon, recalling having compensated" by way of reparation "14 other victims of Bernard Preynat for whom the facts were prescribed and who had therefore not been able to constitute themselves. civil party during the trial.
They had obtained in December, a global compensation of 169,500 euros.
A new compensation scheme being installed
Applicants have one month to appeal. “They also have the possibility of requesting other financial compensation from the Church of France since a new compensation system will be implemented soon by the Conference of Bishops of France. But that will go beyond the framework of the diocese of Lyon ”, indicates the latter.
“Among the victims of Bernard Preynat, there are those who have had a civil judgment, by the State, and compensated by the State.
And there are the others, who could not be judged by the State, because the facts were prescribed.
These were tried by an ecclesiastical court which paid them compensation.
So all the victims of Bernard Preynat have been compensated ”, concluded before the press Cardinal Olivier de Germay, who said he was“ upset ”and“ scandalized ”by the conclusions of the Sauvé commission.
On March 16, 2020, Bernard Preynat was sentenced to 5 years in prison for sexual assault on minors.
He had given up on appealing a few months later.
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Lyon
Church
Pedocriminality
Bernard Preynat
Diocese of Lyon
Society