Following allegations of abuse against the bishop, the diocese of La Rochelle in western France is given a transitional administrator. Pope Francis has appointed the bishop of Lucon in the Vendée, François Jacolin (73), as well as the apostolic administrator with full headquarters in La Rochelle, that is, the papal administrator with full episcopal rights, as reported by the newspaper “La Croix” (Thursday online). . The Pope had placed Bishop Georges Colomb (70) there in temporary retirement at his request.
Colomb is accused of sexual assault while he was Superior of the Missions Etrangeres de Paris (French Mission Abroad, MEP) in 2013. He himself stated that he was shocked by the accusations and completely rejected them. He will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities.
Colomb’s successor in the MEPs, now Auxiliary Bishop of Strasbourg Gilles Reithinger, is accused of failing to investigate the allegations at the time. The president of the French Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort de Reims, asked for respect for the presumption of innocence of both.
Investigations launched against the deputy
The Catholic Church in France has been rocked by discoveries and high-profile cases of sexual assault and cover-ups for several years. The “Missiones Etrangeres de Paris” had already announced a comprehensive investigation in May to clarify several alleged cases of sexual violence within foreign missions and how they were handled.
Meanwhile, the Criminal Court of the Church in France (TPCN) said it was investigating “senior members” of the MEP. The current superior general commissioned the tribunal. Any witnesses are invited to come forward. The ecclesiastical tribunal is a special body that has only recently existed and was approved in 2021 by the French Episcopal Conference as a tool to combat abuse.
The Paris Mission was founded in the 17th century to train missionaries for Indochina. The community is organized as a so-called society of apostolic life and is therefore on an equal footing with other religious communities. (KNA)