RENNES (FRANCE)
Barlaman Today [Rabat, Morocco]
November 14, 2025
By Amina Elghoubachi
Father Antoine Exelmans, a 60-year-old French priest in one of Casablanca’s churches, is under investigation for sexual abuse of migrants and refugees under his care in Morocco, including a minor of 15, authorities said.
Exelmans served in Morocco from 2016 to the summer of 2024 after having been sent from the Diocese of Rennes. Moroccan authorities received a complaint in May 2024. French prosecutors in Saint-Étienne said Exelmans admitted that the acts had occurred between 2020 and 2024 in Rabat and Casablanca, but claimed they were “freely consented to,” according to prosecutor Anne Gaches. Prosecutors are investigating “assaults on minors and adults under his authority due to his position,” she said, Le Parisien reported.
Moroccan news outlet Enass reported that Exelmans allegedly ran a “system of sexual exploitation” targeting migrant and refugee minors. At least six victims, mostly from Guinea and one from Cameroon, are involved.
The Archbishop of Rabat, Cristobal Lopez Romero, said last week that the church had cooperated with both Moroccan and French authorities.
“As soon as the facts were brought to our attention, we undertook the procedures required by church rules and fully cooperated with authorities, both in Morocco and abroad, by sharing the results of our investigation,” Romero told AFP.
Romero added that he had been alerted in July 2024 about Exelmans’ conduct with respect to young migrants. “This raised fears of abuse on vulnerable people,” he said.
Since returning to France in the summer of 2024, Exelmans has lived in a Jesuit community. The Diocese of Saint-Étienne confirmed he is barred from conducting religious duties.
The French prosecutor said the case is still under preliminary investigation. Because the Moroccan evidence is “too imprecise and not subject to contradiction,” French authorities have requested international legal assistance from Morocco to obtain further details.