French Archbishop Guy de Kerimel of Toulouse defended his appointment of a priest convicted of sexually abusing a minor as diocesan chancellor, saying that he had “chosen the path of mercy.”
The June 2 appointment of Father Dominique Spina gained widespread attention in the country after the French daily, La Dépêche du Midi, noted the priest’s 1993 conviction for sexually abusing a 16-year-old high school student, for which he was given a five-year prison sentence.
“It is true that Father Spina served a five-year prison sentence, including one suspended year, for very serious acts that took place nearly 30 years ago,” Archbishop de Kerimel said in a statement to Agence-France Presse, which was published July 7 by the French newspaper Le Monde.
Archbishop de Kerimel added that Father Spina “no longer exercises a pastoral role,” with the exception of “celebrating the Eucharist, alone or exceptionally, for the faithful.”
“Considering that…
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