The Archbishop of Toulouse, Archbishop Guy de Kerimel, has backtracked from the controversial appointment of a convicted rapist as diocesan chancellor.
On 16 August, Archbishop de Kerimel announced the appointment of a new diocesan chancellor after weeks of criticism over his initial appointment of Fr Dominique Spina.
Fr Dominique Spina was convicted in 2005 of the rape of a high-school student in Pau, southwest France, in the Diocese of Bayonne, for offences committed in 1993. The victim came from a troubled family background and believed he had a vocation to the priesthood. Spina became his spiritual director and carried out the abuse between 1992 and 1994.
Spina initially prevented the young man from entering the diocesan seminary. However, he was eventually admitted and later reported the abuse to the seminary director. Shortly after the report, the victim was expelled from the seminary for “lack of maturity”. A complaint was filed…
View Cache