A new case of pedophile aggression in the Church.
On Friday morning, the Archbishop of Poitiers, Pascal Wintzer made public his decision to suspend an Italian priest from Deux-Sèvres who confessed to having "committed sexual assaults on minors" in the 1990s in Brazil.
According to Bishop Wintzer, Father Gabriele-Arcangelo Biagioni, priest of the parish of Saint-Junien en Mellois, “came spontaneously” to give himself up.
"Nothing is mentioned, neither on this subject, nor on his ministry in Brazil in the file which concerns him at the archdiocese", added the prelate, who "informed the prosecution" of this admission.
However, due to the nationality of the religious and facts "committed abroad", no prosecution can take place in France, according to the information sent to the archbishop.
No known acts of aggression in France
Father Gabriele-Arcangelo Biagioni has been suspended since December 7, "prohibited from any public ministry" and prohibited from coming into "contact with minors".
Bishop Wintzer assures that he was not aware of any act of aggression concerning him in France.
"I measure the importance of making such decisions public, above all to protect people who could be victims", he adds, inviting anyone who has doubts about the actions of this priest during his ministry in France to talk to the "competent authorities".
A little over a year ago, the Sauvé report had demonstrated the extent of child crime within the French Catholic Church since the 1950s. This report estimated that around 330,000 the number of victims attacked while they were were minors.
Miscellaneous facts
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Miscellaneous facts
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Poitou-Charentes
Church
Priest
sexual assault
child crime