French cardinal admits past abuse, will cease public ministry (Reuters)

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, the retired Archbishop of Bordeaux, has announced that he will no longer engage in public ministry, after disclosing that he “behaved in a reprehensible way” with a young girl long ago.

Cardinal Ricard said that his misconduct, which occurred 35 years ago, had “grave and lasting consequences,” for which he asked forgiveness. Cardinal Ricard, a former president of the French episcopal conference and member of the Vatican’s Council on the Economy, retired in 2019. The Vatican accepted his resignation on his 75th birthday.