The Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit offers his resignation to the Pope – The HuffPost

Charles Platiau / Reuters

CATHOLIC CHURCH – He does not say it in these terms, but the Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit presented his resignation to the Pope, we learned from the diocese of Paris this Friday, November 26. The institution has indeed admitted that the prelate had “behaved ambiguously” with a woman in 2012, after press revelations attributed to him an affair.

Wednesday on its website, Point affirmed that the archbishop had that year had an intimate and consensual relationship with a woman, referring to an email he allegedly sent in error and which left no doubt, according to the weekly, about the nature of the relationship maintained.

It’s up to Pope Francis to decide

“He proposed to the Pope to hand in his resignation” by “a letter sent this week”, the diocese of Paris told AFP, confirming information from Figaro. Only the Pope can decide to accept or reject it.

In 2012, “he behaved ambiguously with a very present person vis-à-vis him”, we added. It was “not a romantic relationship” or a “sexual relationship”, the diocese assured AFP on Friday. “He opened up to his hierarchy at the time”.

“I admit that my behavior towards her could have been ambiguous, thus suggesting the existence between us of an intimate relationship and sexual relations, which I strongly refute”, said Monsignor Aupetit. in the article of Point.

It is not a “resignation” that he proposes

The resignation request “is not an admission of guilt but a gesture of humility, a provision”, underlined the diocese. Monsignor Aupetit made this gesture today “because he understands that there may be a disturbance among the Catholics of the diocese”, one added on the side of the religious institution.

Besides, in an interview with The cross, the interested party refutes this very idea of ​​a “resignation”. “The word resignation is not the one I used. It would mean that I am relinquishing my charge. In reality, I put it in the hands of the Holy Father because he was the one who gave it to me ”, he explains daily.

And to ensure that his acts are in no way the reason for which he “places his office” in the hands of the Sovereign Pontiff, but to “preserve the diocese, because as bishop, I must be at the service of unity”. He insists: “It is not because of what I should have done or not in the past – otherwise I would have been gone a long time ago – but to avoid division, if I myself am a source of divisions.”

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