Condemnation as French Archbishop promotes Catholic priest convicted of rape

Pope Leo

A French archbishop’s decision to promote a priest who was sentenced to jail for raping a teenage boy has drawn new condemnation of the Roman Catholic Church for its record on sex abuse.

Victim support groups and traditionalists have expressed outrage over the case of Dominique Spina, who was found guilty of raping a 16-year-old boy in 2006 and sentenced to five years in prison.

The archbishop of Toulouse, Guy de Kerimel, set off the controversy in June when he named Spina as diocesan chancellor, putting him in charge of archives.

The canonical code lays down that the chancellor must be “of honest reputation and above all suspicion”.

Kerimel said he had acted out of “mercy” in making the appointment and that he had “nothing to reproach” the priest for in an “administrative function”.

In a statement released Thursday in the face of mounting protests, Kerimel acknowledged the “incomprehension” and “questions” among Catholics but said again that without “mercy” Spina risked a “social death”.

“This is in no way about downplaying a crime” and the victim must be “recognised and helped”, he insisted. Punch