It is an email from the diocese of Paris which was sent on December 2 to all of its priests, the very day Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Archbishop of Paris.
All the Roman passes of the capital were thus invited to a "mass of thanksgiving in order to surround and thank Mgr Aupetit", relieved of his functions after an investigation by Le Point evoking his brutal methods and an intimate relationship with a woman in 2012.
“Each time an archbishop leaves, there is a mass of thanksgiving that is organized. When Mgr Aupetit's predecessors, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois and Cardinal Lustiger, left, there was one ”, enlightens a member of the Parisian clergy who has around 500“ fathers ”. This farewell service, after four years of service, is scheduled for this Friday at 7 p.m. in the Saint-Sulpice church (Paris VIe), one of the largest Catholic buildings in Paris where, among others, the funeral of Jacques Chirac, two years ago. "Do not hesitate to let the faithful know", we read in the internal mail of the diocese.
All parishioners are therefore welcome, but there is no guarantee that the place of worship will be full.
“I'm not sure there are a lot of people.
At the faithful, the more old school (
old
) have certainly not enjoyed the sequence.
The most modern don't give a damn, but they don't go to Mass so much.
As for the priests, then this is not going to please at all.
There will be less than expected, that's for sure, ”predicts a seasoned priest of the beautiful neighborhoods.
"I'm drunk, I'm fed up"
He will not fill the rows under the nave. “I have a good excuse: Mass in my parish,” he smiles. This is no exception. "I do not intend to go to this mass, the current big bazaar tires me! »Reveals one of his colleagues. He has "personally nothing against" the one who is now Archbishop Emeritus of Paris. "I'm just drunk, I'm sick of it, I've got my dose!" It is one more catastrophe after the Sauvé report on sexual abuse committed within the Church, he regrets. It's a crumbling house of cards. Another comrade also declined the invitation. “I don't have time, I have to cross all of Paris! »He evacuates. Other priests, on the other hand, have every intention of praying alongside their former “patron”.
“It's a way of saying goodbye to him.
I see no reason not to go, he has always listened to me, ”praises a young cleric.
He does not pass judgment on “everything he hears” on the prelate.
“Actually, I don't know anything at all!
We will see more clearly over time ... "