NDTV
Agence France-Presse | Updated: April 10, 2014 18:12 IST
Versailles, France: A priest in an ultra-conservative Catholic sect has been charged with rape and torture for acts allegedly committed during exorcisms involving three schoolteachers.
Versailles prosecutor Vincent Lesclous told AFP the 40-year-old priest with the Society of Saint Pius X, whose identity has not been released to protect the victims, was charged on Wednesday and is being held without bail.
He is facing charges of aggravated rape, torture and “committing barbarous acts” for the alleged assaults on three teachers at a private religious school in the western suburbs of Paris.
The prosecutor refused to provide further details, but newspaper Le Parisien reported on Thursday that the assaults took place in the autumn of 2010 at the Notre-Dame de la Sablonniere school run by the sect.
It alleged he had first raped one teacher during an exorcism to purge her of the “evil” from a previous sexual assault.
He then used his “spiritual influence” to convince two other female teachers to undergo similar exorcisms, Le Parisien said.
It said the victims had claimed that acts of torture had been committed using a broom, a toothbrush and scissors during the ceremonies.
Questioned by police, the priest claimed no assaults had been committed, saying he had only “simulated” sexual acts.
The Society of Saint Pius X is a breakaway group of fundamentalist Catholics that strongly opposes the liberal reforms of the Catholic Church imposed by the Vatican II Council in the 1960s.
With 600,000 followers in 62 countries, the group founded in 1970 by French bishop Marcel Lefebvre has been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism and far-right leanings. Lefebvre was ex-communicated in 1988 and died in 1991.
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French priest ‘raped teachers at exorcisms’
The Local France’s News in English
Published: 10 Apr 2014 13:32 GMT+02:00
Updated: 10 Apr 2014 13:32 GMT+02:00
A French fundamentalist priest repeatedly raped three teachers at the school he ran in the suburbs of Paris during so-called exorcisms, according to French media reports. But for years the victims didn’t come forward to police.
The 40-year-old priest was indicted this week on charges of rape, cruelty and torture for the acts that allegedly left one of the victims in the Paris suburbs so disturbed that she couldn’t even describe them to investigators.
Police said the priest raped the three women in the autumn of 2010 after coming into contact with them at the private religious school Ecole Notre-Dame-de-la-Sablonnière in Goussonville, which he was running at the time, French newsite Toute Les Nouvelles reported. It alleged he had first raped one teacher during an exorcism to purge her of the “evil” from a previous sexual assault.
The priest used his “spiritual influence” to convince two other female teachers to undergo similar exorcisms, French daily Le Parisien reported. It said the victims had claimed that acts of torture had been committed using a broom, a toothbrush and scissors during the ceremonies.
Police became involved only last year when two of the women reported the rapes to authorities. After learning of the crimes several years ago the priest’s fundamentalist society of St. Pius X tried him in a religious hearing and sentenced him to two years in a monastery.
While being interrogated earlier this week the priest allegedly told detectives that he had only “mimed” sexual acts and had not raped the victims, one of whom had come to him for help because she’d been sexually abused. An unnamed police source told Toute Les Nouvelles that the priest suffers from mental problems.
“He’s obsessed with sex,” the source said. “In his own way he was fighting fire with fire.”
The Society of St. Pius X is a congregation of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970. Its historical leader, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated by the church. This quasi-sectarian group refuses the authority of the Vatican and defends a vision of Catholicism that rejects its modern evolution.
With 600,000 followers in 62 countries, the group founded in 1970 by French bishop Marcel Lefebvre has been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism and far-right leanings. Lefebvre was ex-communicated in 1988 and died in 1991.
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‘Obsessed with sex’: French priest charged with rape, torture during exorcisms
RT
Published time: April 10, 2014 20:21
A French fundamentalist priest raped and tortured three teachers at a private religious school he ran during so-called exorcisms, leaving one the victims so disturbed she couldn’t describe events to investigators.
Police say the priest raped three women in the autumn of 2010 after he met them at the private religious school Ecole Notre-Dame-de-la Sablonniere in Goussonville, west of Paris, which he was running at the time, according to French media reports.
For years the women did not come forward to the police and one of them was so traumatized that she couldn’t even describe what had happened to her. The 40-year old priest was charged on Wednesday on charges of cruelty, torture and rape. He is now being held without bail
The cleric had allegedly raped one teacher to purge her of the “evil” of a previous sexual assault and used his “spiritual influence” to convince two other female teachers to experience similar exorcisms.
While being interrogated earlier this week the priest allegedly told detectives that he had only “simulated” the sexual acts, which the victims claimed were acts of torture using a broom, a toothbrush and some scissors.
An unnamed police source told the French news site Toute Les Nouvelles that the priest suffered from mental problems.
“He’s obsessed with sex. In his own way he was fighting fire with fire,” the source said.
The priest has already been tried several years ago in a religious hearing by his sect of St. Pius X, which sentenced him to two years in a monastery.
The Society of St Pius X is a congregation of traditionalist catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and refuses the authority of the Vatican. It has over 600,000 followers in 62 countries but has been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism and far-right leanings.
I have posted these articles under RC Scandal/France. In truth the Society of Pius X is not currently in communion with the Roman Catholic Church – there have been talks ongoing for years between Pius X and the Vatican which to date have failed to rectify the rift. As it stands, some people believe Pius X is in communion, and others insist that they are not. Confusion abounds.
But, just look at the articles. Read and weep.
And look at this:
“After learning of the crimes several years ago the priest’s fundamentalist society of St. Pius X tried him in a religious hearing and sentenced him to two years in a monastery.”
Seems Pious X has trouble doing the right thing too? What ever made this priest’s superiors think for a moment that he is fit to be a priest, either in a schismatic order or within the RC Church?
There is nothing to tell us what he has been doing of late – it seems he spent his two years in a monastery and that was it?
Is there a duty to report sex crimes to police in France? Does anyone know? Whether there is or is not obviously the Society superiors determined there was no need to report these crimes to police?