Cardinal Ricard’s statement admitting the abuse was read at a conference of French bishops in Lourdes, a city in southwestern France. Archbishop Eric de Moulin-Beaufort, head of the French bishops’ conference, said all those accused would face disciplinary action. Moulin-Beaufort told reporters that the bishops were shocked by the cardinal’s public statement.
Report finds French priests sexually abusing children
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Cardinal says he molested a 14-year-old girl
Ricard said in his statement that “thirty-five years ago, when I was a priest, I behaved in a reprehensible way with a 14-year-old girl.” “There is no doubt that my behavior caused serious and long-lasting consequences for this person,” the cardinal said, adding that he asked her for forgiveness. Ricard was bishop of Bordeaux from 2001 to 2019. He said he would retire from all functions and make himself available to the church and legal authorities. Now retired, the cardinal is 78 years old.
Catholic Church under control
An independent commission investigating abuse in the French Catholic Church said last year that there had been thousands of pedophiles in its ranks for many years. The commission added that the French clergy had abused an estimated 330,000 children over the past 70 years. An inquiry in 2020 found that the Catholic Church in England and Wales had failed to protect children from sexual abuse over the years while protecting alleged perpetrators. rm/rs (Reuters, AFP)
