Waiting until the trial

adminonDecember 22, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

The priest accused of abuse in the film "Grace a Dieu", Bernard Preynat, wants to prevent the film from being released in cinemas. The trial has not yet taken place, and the presumption of innocence applies until a verdict is reached.

The lawyer of the priest Bernard Preynat justifies the postponement of the publication with the preservation of the presumption of innocence, reports the channel "Franceinfo". A hearing will be held this Friday in Paris; the theatrical release of "Grace a Dieu" (Praise be to God) is scheduled for Wednesday (20. February) planned.

Court case not yet started

The film takes a look at sexual abuse in the church from the perspective of the victims. Through three adults, director Francois Ozon shows how the abuse they experienced as scouts or altar boys affected their lives. The story is based on the accounts of alleged abuse victims from Lyon.

However, the trial of Preynat, accused of abuse, has not yet taken place. He therefore demands the postponement of the release of the film.

Ten abuse cases admitted

The film's three producers, "Mandarin Productions," "Mars Films" and "France 3," cite freedom of expression and public interest as counter-arguments. At the end of the film, it is also specified that the priest is considered innocent until the court has judged. Preynat had also admitted to being responsible for about ten cases.

For director Ozon, postponing the theatrical release would be a "disaster for the image of the church". According to him, the silence had already lasted "long enough". In his opinion, the film was an "opportunity" for the church.

"Thank God a large part of the deeds are time-barred"

In January, a trial took place against, among others, Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin for not reporting the cases shown in the film. After the hearing, the prosecution opposed a conviction of the cardinal; the verdict is expected on 7. March fall.

The film's title is taken from a March 2016 quote by Cardinal Barbarin. At the time, he had said, "Thanks be to God (grace a Dieu), a large part of the acts are statute-barred."

It was the solemn conclusion of his visit to Mexico: Together with hundreds of thousands of people, the Pope celebrated a large church service on Sunday. In doing so, he called for a renewal and revival of the Catholic faith.

The backdrop for Benedict XVI. could not have been better: A colossal bronze Christ, high atop the 2.700-meter-high Cerro Cubilete, blesses the country with outstretched arms visible from afar. The statue is the geographical center of Mexico and its Catholic landmark. But in the immediate vicinity of the site where the pope celebrates mass stands the exotic house of worship of a Christian sect: "We are not Roman Catholics, we are the "Light of the World," is written defiantly on a wall there. Appropriately, Benedict XVI spoke. in the "Parco del Bicentennario" of Silao on Sunday of the revival of the Catholic faith.

"Viva il Papa!", hundreds of thousands cried out when Benedict XVI. Arrived at the event site in the Popemobile. The pope presented himself in traditional national costume with a sombrero on his head – designed especially for him. Tens of thousands had camped out in the meadows despite the cool night temperatures. The service, held in brilliant sunshine, was the highlight of Benedict XVI's four-day stay in Mexico.

It is necessary to overcome faith fatigue and "rediscover the joy of being a Christian," the pope preached. Catholics would have to resist the temptation of a faith that is superficial and dulled into habit. The tenor is clear: Even in Latin America, the Catholic faith is not in the best of shape everywhere. New evangelization is not just a European problem. On the flight to Mexico, the pope had praised the "intuition of the heart" among Latin American Catholics; however, this had to be accompanied by a "rationality of faith".

A relationship that was not always uncomplicated
The trip to Mexico is not only for the country itself, but for all of Latin America, a region where almost half of the world's Catholics live. At the service in Silao, this was expressed by the participation of representatives from 22 bishops' conferences. Nearly 250 cardinals and bishops from Mexico and other Latin American and Caribbean countries came to the event.

Joseph Ratzinger and Latin America – it was not always an uncomplicated relationship. The former prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith owed his earlier dubbing by his critics as a "tank cardinal" in part to his crackdown on liberation theologians in South America. Even during his first visit as pope to Latin America, in 2007 in Brazil, there were temporary irritations. A statement about the Christianization of the continent was taken by some Latin American Catholics as a trivialization of colonial atrocities.

No meeting with abuse victims
This time, there were no such upsets: On the flight to Mexico, Benedict XVI found. The Pope expressed his appreciation for liberation theology, albeit with reservations: a liberation theology understood in the "good sense," a "correct" one, could certainly contribute to overcoming the blatant social injustice in South America. This was, in principle, just what he had always said. Without the accessory of magisterial condemnations, however, it seemed immediately much friendlier.

The subject of sexual abuse has so far only played a marginal role during the trip. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, in response to questions from journalists, confirmed that a meeting with victims of abuse had not been proposed by the Mexican bishops. That is why none is taking place – just as previously in Portugal or France. Especially the abuse scandal around the Mexican founder of the "Legionaries of Christ", Marcial Maciel Degollado (1920-2008), had caused a sensation in the country. Victims still complained over the weekend about not being able to talk to the Pope in person.

After Mass, the Pope was to remotely press a button to start up new lighting for Cubilete's statue of Christ the King. For the revival of faith, however, a push of a button will not suffice.

From 3. to 28. In October, Pope Francis invited bishops from all over the world to a youth synod in the Vatican. The BDKJ Federal President Thomas Andonie expects that there will also be a discussion about sexualized violence in the church.

Catholic News Agency (KNA): Mr. Andonie, in the U.S., in Chile and here in Germany, numerous facts have come to light about clergy sexual abuse of minors. Does this influence the choice of topics for the upcoming Youth Synod?

Thomas Andonie (Federal President of the Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ): The ie of sexualized violence in the church has been coming up again and again since 2010, and particularly. We can't just go back to business as usual at the Youth Synod. That doesn't work. We have to see that we give the topic appropriate space. This is something that was explicitly demanded by all young people already at the presynod. They say: dear church, when you deal with us, we must also talk about ies of sexualized violence.

CBA: What consequences the Church must draw from the latest findings about the extent of abuse?
Andonie: It's also a matter of looking at where hierarchies are that encourage abuse. Pope Francis very aptly calls this clericalism. That's about power and cover-up within the church. It is an unimaginable suffering that is being inflicted on young people, and by people who are very close to them in a pastoral relationship, of all people. We need to talk about which structures are conducive to this and what consequences this has for the regional implementation of reforms in the individual bishops' conferences, in the dioceses, in the parishes and in the other church structures.

CBA: The Dutch youth bishop has canceled his participation in the synod, saying it is not "the right time" to do so. Conservative U.S. bishops recently called for the synod to be scrapped altogether in light of the situation. Comprehensible?

Andonie: I have no understanding for this at all. Because it is precisely this subject that must be discussed above all with the young people.

CBA: What other ies are on the agenda?

Andonie: Young Catholics around the world are concerned with the question of the role of women in the Church. Why are women not allowed to be ordained? In the same way, young people wonder why celibacy, that is, mandatory celibacy for priests, is absolutely necessary. In general, young people demand more right of co-determination. Figuratively speaking, they don't want to come into a room where everything is already set up, where the table, bed and sofa are already there and nothing can be moved. They want to help furnish the space that the church offers them.

CBA: Is the Youth Synod a first step in this direction??

Andonie: I think so. Pope Francis has said he wants to know in advance, through the survey, what moves young people. And there was the presynod. It has been a very important step. But of course the first step must be followed by a second step, and I hope that we will now see at the Youth Synod that the opinion of young people is not just taken note of by the bishops, according to the motto: Nice what you say, but we'll do it differently after all.

CBA: What concrete demands were made during the presynod??

Andonie: We want a commission in the Vatican staffed by young people to advocate for their concerns and to act in an advisory capacity. We need to be heard in decision-making processes.

CBA: Could this make the church more attractive to young people again?

Andonie: Yes, because there are many who are quite religious, or who are in search of spirituality. But many say, in the Church as it is now, too many things don't fit for me. But if they are now heard and can participate, I can imagine that the church will become more attractive for young people again.

CBA: One demand is also for credibility…

Andonie: …Which will become apparent in the current situation. The church must be sincere, take responsibility, name the guilty and give a voice to the victims. She must reach out to victims and, if possible, provide compensation. And with regard to the guilty, it must cooperate with the judiciary and then draw consequences accordingly.

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