• A new pedocrime case, revealed by the dioceses of Lyon, Grenoble and Saint-Etienne, has already enabled around twenty victims to come forward.

  • Msgr. de Germay, successor to Cardinal Barbarin, affirms that he wants “to ensure that the Church does not shirk its responsibilities”.

  • The victims of Father Louis Ribes, he fears, are “certainly very numerous”.

Twenty victims identified, but how many in reality? The revelation, at the end of last week, of a new case of pedocrime in the dioceses of Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Grenoble shook the Church, reacted. And free speech. During the meeting held Tuesday evening in Grammond (Loire), "a dozen" alleged victims of Father Louis Ribes testified. Recounting the horrors suffered during their childhood. Since the call for witnesses launched by the religious authorities, between “six and seven” others have come forward to the Lyon bishopric.

“It is difficult to have an exact estimate of the number of victims for the moment, but they are unfortunately, certainly very numerous”, indicates this Wednesday Olivier de Germay, the archbishop of Lyon, during a press conference.

And to publicly confess to being “personally appalled by the perversity of this priest”.

Painting sessions during which the children posed naked

Painter, Louis Ribes, who died in 1994, was “never a parish priest”. He taught art in the seminaries and rubbed shoulders with many children in the villages, where he worked on the production of paintings, frescoes or stained glass. “He made his victims pose naked, we know that they inspired many works in him”, laments the Archbishop of Lyon. During these sessions, the priest nicknamed the "Picasso of the churches" engaged in pedophile acts. The facts would have been committed for decades. From the 1960s to the 1980s. And maybe even more.

The truth never came out.

The diocese of Lyon has been contacted twice about him.

A first time in 2016 by that of Grenoble, which had been alerted on its side.

A second time, during the Ciase investigation.

“A year ago, his name did not appear in our archives, attests Olivier de Germay, successor to Cardinal Barbarin.

In the villages, the churches, the families, some did not know at all.

Others, who have since spoken, suspected something but nothing appears in his file.

The diocese has not received any report concerning him.

»

“Assuming not having been able to stand out from the culture of silence”

However, there is no question of clearing customs. Wishing to "give priority to victims", the Archbishop of Lyon attests to wanting "to ensure that the Church does not shirk its responsibilities". “Even when it comes to old cases, of which one can say oneself personally innocent, we wish to assume the fact that the Church did not know how to distance itself from the culture of the time, which was a culture of silence or denial, and where we sought above all to protect the institution”, he develops.

In this context, the Church has decided to set up an Independent Authority for Recognition and Reparation (INIRR) which will be able to receive victims and study, in dialogue with them, the best way to help them.

This body will be operational in mid-February.

In addition, the diocese of Lyon indicated that it had paid 750,000 euros to the victim compensation fund.

“It is obvious that we did not appeal to the faithful.

This sum was taken from our reserves and we accepted this proof of impoverishment, out of respect for the victims, ”says Olivier de Germay.

Works dismantled and then put away

As for the priest's works of art, they will be dismantled and then stored in a private place since they cannot be destroyed.

“The public exhibition of these works was unbearable for the victims.

This is the reason why we have decided to remove those that belong to us”.

For the others, the decision will rest with the mayors of the villages concerned.

The three dioceses "are contacting them to inform them".

In Pomey, near Lyon, where Louis Ribes used to spend his holidays, the removal of the works has already begun.

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Child crime in the Church: A new case breaks out in the dioceses of Lyon, Saint-Etienne and Grenoble

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