It is one of the emblematic faces of a broken silence. The one who had focused on sexual violence committed by members of the Roman Church. François Devaux, president of the association La Parole Libérée, is at the origin of the complaint against Father Preynat, sentenced in March to five years in prison for sexual assaults committed in the past on young scouts from the diocese of Lyon , including him. The case that triggered the Barbarin scandal.
If his legal journey, as a victim, is finished, another will begin for four plaintiffs, in another case. It's official since Thursday: on November 10, the former Vatican ambassador to France, Mgr Luigi Ventura, will be tried for sexual assault by the Paris Criminal Court. François Devaux reacts to this announcement.
An apostolic nuncio soon to face a tribunal. The Vatican is no longer an impregnable fortress ...
FRANÇOIS DEVAUX. What immediately springs to mind is the growing lucidity of all of society on what certain people are capable of, who hide behind the immaculate image of religion. I find it reassuring that justice is freed from this cultural pressure. Before, we did not even dare to reckon such things on the part of a priest, a cardinal. So an apostolic nuncio, I don't even talk about it.
Who do we owe this change to?
To the victims! Thanks to them, in recent years, the republican judiciary has advanced in this awareness of a scourge. These cases affecting the Church are special in that they are for the victims of a double abuse: that of body and soul. This use of the believer's vulnerability is one more trick that can destroy the brain. It is very important that justice remains mobilized in the interest of fellow citizens because canonical justice is not. Apart from the fine words that come to us from the Vatican, we are waiting for decisions and actions that are not taken despite the growing pressure.
Four complainants are preparing to take a path you know. What do you tell them?
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I am in contact with one of them. What I can say is that the legal process is long and very thankless. It's a board game where no one knows who will win. A not very pleasant exposure, where the victim takes the defense plea in the face. It is often difficult to do, but you have to try to put a certain distance. Tell yourself that you take these steps out of duty, for the common good and not just for yourself. It helps.