The Vatican has imposed restrictions on the former Bishop of Verdun, Jean-Paul Gusching, after receiving complaints about his conduct towards women.
The announcement was made yesterday by the Apostolic Nunciature in France, which confirmed that information concerning the 70-year-old prelate had been sent to the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome.
Bishop Gusching resigned from office on 27 September, citing health concerns that he described as “worrisome” in a message posted on the website of the Diocese of Verdun. However, the statement from the nunciature suggested that ill health was not the only reason behind his departure, saying that “the health reasons publicly cited by the prelate for submitting his resignation are only one factor in the Holy Father’s decision to accept this resignation.”
The nunciature reported that the information it had received was “fragmentary and contradictory,” adding that Bishop Gusching denies any wrongdoing. The Dicastery for Bishops has already taken precautionary action. “The prelate has been required to live in seclusion outside his dioceses of Amiens and Verdun and refrain from liturgical celebrations and public pastoral activities,” the statement said.
Bishop Gusching has given assurances to the prefect of the dicastery, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, that he would avoid any behaviour toward women in the future that could be interpreted as contrary to his priestly commitments. A preliminary canonical investigation has now been opened, entrusted to Bishop Stanislas Lalanne, the emeritus bishop of Pontoise, who is being assisted by Archbishop Philippe Ballot of Metz, apostolic administrator of Verdun. The nunciature also confirmed that a report had been filed with the civil authorities.
The nature of the case is reminiscent of that of Archbishop Jean-Pierre Grallet O.F.M., former Archbishop of Strasbourg, who has been the subject of both a canonical investigation and a civil inquiry after he acknowledged having made “inappropriate gestures” toward a young adult woman in the late 1980s. Michel Laloux, provincial of the Franciscans of France and Belgium, reported that by 30 September 2022 a canonical procedure was under way and that on 4 November he had suspended Grallet from his current assignment supervising a retirement home for Franciscans.
The situation surrounding Bishop Gusching now comes amid a broader wave of Vatican oversight concerning members of the French hierarchy. For the French episcopacy, the announcement marks a further period of scrutiny and uncertainty as the Church continues efforts to restore confidence among the faithful.
No further information is set to be released while the investigation continues.
(Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
