Page 10 - AT

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 7 September 2018
In France, rebel priest takes on church bosses on sex abuse

By JOHN LEICESTER and conservative church-
Associated Press goers."
SAINT-MARTIN-EN-VER- But he says dealing with
CORS, France (AP) — When abuse and its aftermath
a lowly Roman Catholic must be the church's prior-
father rebels against the ity.
church hierarchy, publicly "We can't say 'God loves
castigating a prominent you' when there are such
cardinal's handling of child somber sordid stories that
sex-abuse cases, is that make one feel sick and
an act of backstabbing uncomfortable. No. No. At
against the institution he this point, the abscess must
serves or a brave solo effort be punctured, treated and
to help save it? healed," he says.
That is the debate pro- Vignon's supporters include
voked by the actions of a a group of alleged victims
priest in France, with his re- of Rev. Bernard Preynat, the
markable step of petition- Lyon priest under criminal
ing the cardinal to resign. investigation on preliminary
Judging from the sheaf of charges of sexual assaults
letters and cards that Rev. on minors. Preynat, now in
Pierre Vignon is clutching his 70s, confessed wrong-
in his soft, plump hands, doings in letters to victims'
his uprising has divided parents and meetings with
churchgoers. his superiors, including Bar-
To hate-mailers, the previ- barin. His last known abuses
ously anonymous 64-year- were in 1991.
old propelled into the spot- Francois Devaux, president
light by his online petition of the "La Parole Liberee"
launched two weeks ago (Lift the Burden of Silence)
is an attention-grabbing group, says Vignon took a
egomaniac who is courting risk in going public because
disaster by taking on the in- he would have looked "a
fluential archbishop of the In this photo taken Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, Father Pierre Vignon reads a letter from a critic in bit stupid" had his petition
southeastern city of Lyon. Saint-Martin-En-Vercors, France. garnered few signatures.
But mostly, Vignon says, Associated Press "For the first time, a cleric is
those writing to him are sup- asking himself the question:
portive. They include peo- boy scouts in the 1980s. volt cardinal.' Now, un- Vignon says he's had no 'What about me? What is
ple who have themselves "I have always been un- fortunately, he's going to indication that Barbarin my stance in this?'" he said.
been abused by predator manageable," Vignon says become the 100,000-vote even read his open letter. "It is a courageous act. And
priests. He plucks one such proudly. "There comes a cardinal,'" Vignon said. In it, the priest of 38 years that shows up the passive
"thank you" card from the moment when one has to Barbarin and other church argued that "we are at complicity, the passive re-
pile and reads out loud. say 'No! No more, that's officials are due in court in one of those crucial hours sponsibility of others."
"Because of you I want to enough!' That's what I said: January to answer victims' in history where great acts He believes the success of
go back to church," its au- 'Enough.'" charges that they were are required" and asked Vignon's petition could be
thor wrote. "When I do, I will On this day, Vignon is partic- aware of the Lyon priest's Barbarin: "You yourself ac- a turning point in French
think of the victims." ularly buoyant because his alleged history of abuse knowledged management church attitudes to abuse.
Vignon clearly relishes be- petition on change.org has and didn't alert authorities. mistakes. Why would you After the petition surged
ing at the center of the just garnered its 100,000th Barbarin has denied any at- remain in place indefinitely past 100,000 signatures,
storm, with reporters now signature, a milestone that tempt to cover up the case having made them?" Devaux got an unsolicited
beating a path to the Ver- heaps more pressure on and has been supported as The petition hasn't prompt- call that same evening
cors plateau in southeast- church leaders to choose "brave" by Pope Francis. ed Barbarin to resign, but it from a "very, very worried"
ern France where the portly sides. After clambering out Francis, too, is facing resig- has exposed fissures in the bishop asking "what can
priest ministers. of his hoarse-sounding Fiat nation calls over accusa- French church. Those who we do?" Devaux wouldn't
The Vercors' mountain vil- Panda, Vignon whipped tions by a former Vatican have spoken in support of name the bishop.
lages and choppy terrain out his mobile phone to ambassador that he cov- Barbarin include Vignon's "The church, or some peo-
were centers of French re- show how a friend texted ered up for American ex- own boss, Valence bishop ple in the church, high up,
sistance against Nazi oc- him blow-by-blow updates: Cardinal Theodore McCar- Pierre-Yves Michel. Michel are starting to realize how
cupation in World War II. 99,980 signatures, 99,990, rick. and another French bishop serious the situation is," he
Vignon says he had family 99,995, and, finally, four Further evidence that wrote in church newspa- said.q
members in the resistance minutes later, 100,000. Rome's mounting cover- per La Croix that Barba-
and that the region's free- "Champagne!!" messaged up scandal is going glob- rin shouldn't resign and de-
dom-fighting history helped another friend. al: Several weeks ago, an scribed attacks against him
inspire his own decision to With a glint in his eye, Vi- Australian bishop was con- as an "ideological settling
break ranks and call pub- gnon couldn't help but victed and sentenced to of scores."
licly for the resignation of gloat. a year of home detention "I have violated the unwrit-
Philippe Barbarin, arch- "I don't know if Cardinal for failing to report a pe- ten law that one shouldn't
bishop of Lyon since 2002. Barbarin will forgive me dophile to police. And a make waves," Vignon says.
Vignon faults the cardinal's this joke, but he has such Chilean cardinal was sum- "Because of that I've re-
handling of a notorious al- colossal energy, which I moned to give testimony ceived quite a bit of criti-
leged pedophile priest sus- don't have, that he is often in a sex-abuse cover-up in- cism from some colleagues
pected of abusing Lyon nicknamed 'The 100,000- vestigation. and somewhat traditional