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Jean-Pierre Ricard admitted on Monday (November 7) that he had abused a 14-year-old girl years ago. He also said he would be stepping down from his functions. In 2016, he was appointed a cardinal by Pope Francis.
A total of 11 former or serving French bishops have been charged with sexual violence, including Ricard, who pleaded guilty to assaulting a minor 35 years ago, a senior church body announced.
In a statement, Ricard said: “35 years ago, when I was a parish priest, I committed reprehensible conduct towards a young girl of 14. My conduct inevitably gave this man with serious and lasting consequences.”
From 2001 to 2019, Ricard was bishop in the southwest region of Bordeaux. After the shocking guilty plea, he asked for forgiveness, further stating that he would step down from office. He also mentioned that he can serve legal and other agencies.
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At a news conference, Eric Desmoulins-Beaufort, president of the French Bishops’ Conference, told reporters that all the accused would face prosecution or ecclesiastical disciplinary proceedings.
More recently, over the past 20 years, the Roman Catholic Church has been rocked by reports of sexual abuse around the world, often involving children.
In 2021, an independent investigation found that French clergy had sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years. The report also said the Catholic Church had previously ignored such cases and reports.
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