“35 years ago, when I was a priest, I behaved reprehensibly towards a 14-year-old girl,” Ricard said in a statement.
The cardinal’s statement came after a report revealed a high number of cases of child sexual abuse in the French Catholic Church.
“My behavior caused serious and lasting harm to this man,” he said.
Ricard, 78, was archbishop of Bordeaux in southwestern France until he stepped down in 2019 to serve in his home diocese of Digne-les-Bains (south). In the 1980s he was a priest in the Archdiocese of Marseille.
The cardinal said he spoke to the victim and apologized, but did not specify when.
In the text released today, Ricard also said that he also apologizes to everyone he has hurt.
However, Ricard emphasized that he decided “to no longer remain silent about [sua] situations”, showing readiness to cooperate with French justice and church authorities.
Eleven bishops or former bishops have been accused by French civil or ecclesiastical justice of sexual harassment, Eric de Moulin-Beaufort, president of the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF), said today at a press conference in Lourdes, southwest France. is home to an important Catholic pilgrimage site.
The 120 members of the CEF have been meeting since Thursday in Lourdes for their autumn plenary meeting.
The goal is, among other things, to develop “concrete proposals” to improve communication and transparency of canonical measures taken against clergy involved in cases of sexual violence.
