• A canon is suspected of sexual assault, which allegedly took place in the early 1990s in Alsace.
  • The 69-year-old clergyman is currently accused of a single act of assault, which dates back to the summer of 1993 and is now time-barred.
  • He refutes any inappropriate gesture.

Did a canon abuse several people in the early 1990s in Alsace? An investigation has been opened against a cleric accused of sexual assault and the prosecutor's office of Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) launched Wednesday a call for witnesses for other possible victims to come forward.

The 69-year-old clergyman is currently accused of a single act of assault, which dates back to the summer of 1993 and is now time-barred. The victim of the man who was at the time a priest in the Sundgau region, in southern Alsace, was a 13-year-old mass servant.

But the latter did not denounce the facts until October 2021, confiding in the Archbishop of Strasbourg Luc Ravel. He made a report to the justice and on October 27, 2021, the prosecutor of the Republic of Mulhouse, Edwige Roux-Morizot, requested the services of the research brigade of Altkirch as part of a preliminary investigation.

The canon refutes any inappropriate gesture

"Whether it is sexual assault or, more seriously, rape, the facts are unfortunately prescribed, but our concern is to ensure that there are no other victims," said the magistrate. "It will be necessary to verify whether in the course of his many activities, the priest would have made other victims, young men or young women. The facts denounced by the victim seem credible. A psychiatric expertise was carried out and gives credibility to his statements. He hid the facts for a long time but a malaise set in, a trauma that finally had to be expressed, "continued Roux-Morizot.

The canon, who denies any inappropriate gesture, "has been in contact with a lot of young people, has organized summer camps, in France and abroad," she added. The prosecutor therefore appeals to all persons who could have been victims of touching, regardless of the period. Two telephone numbers are available: 03.89.40.96.39 or 03.89.08.31.81.

  • Justice
  • Alsace
  • Grand East
  • Haut-Rhin
  • Church
  • Sexual assault