A priest officiating on television was convicted of sexual assault on a minor

Europe 1 with AFP 5:27 p.m., November 5, 2021

A priest officiating for a televised mass called on October 24 to pray for victims of sexual violence in the Church.

Problem: he himself had been convicted of sexual assault on a minor in 2007, AFP learned on Friday from the bishop of Nanterre, confirming information from

.

"I made the decision to withdraw all ministry from him until further notice," Bishop of Nanterre, Matthieu Rougé, told AFP.

"He no longer has the right to celebrate Mass or the other sacraments, is no longer a priest in my diocese" since Wednesday, he insisted.

A prayer intention for victims of sexual violence in the Church

The fact that Father A. co-celebrated this mass, for the program

on October 24, was revealed by

Friday, the very day on which the bishops of France, meeting in Lourdes, announced that they recognized " the institutional responsibility of the Church "in the sexual violence suffered by thousands of victims.

During a mass broadcast on France 2 from Asnières-sur-Seine, in Hauts-de-Seine, Father A. had read an intention of prayer for victims of sexual violence in the Church, confirmed to the AFP the producer of the show, Thierry Hubert.

"Listen to the prayers of your people assembled before you, in particular for people abused in the Church and elsewhere," he said, according to

.

The faithful of the diocese of Nancy, knowing his background, were shocked to recognize him on the screen and to hear him say these words.

Contacted, Father A. did not respond to AFP.

"It could have been very violent for those who watched him"

According to

, this priest, former professor at the Metz seminary, was sentenced to ten months suspended prison sentence for sexual assault on a minor 14 years ago. The bishop of Nanterre said he was "surprised" and "shocked" by this "lack of discernment" on the part of Father A. "He did not commit any culpable act in my diocese but it could have been very violent for those who watched him, "he commented.

Matthieu Rougé assured that as soon as he took the head of the bishopric in 2018 he had "immediately presented" the case of this priest to the National Commission responsible for evaluating the situations of priests having committed reprehensible acts.

This commission had estimated, in 2019, "that he could exercise to the extent that he had no ministry with minors and that his parish priest was aware and vigilant", reported the bishop.

According to the Sauvé report published on October 5, some 216,000 adults have been subjected to violence or sexual assault when they were minors, by priests, deacons, men and women religious, since 1950.