Bishop Jean-Marc Eychenne took over his duties as new bishop of Grenoble-Vienne
, replacing Guy de Kérimel, who left for Toulouse. The monk, former bishop of Pamiers in Ariège, will have several burning issues to manage: the consequences of the Louis Ribes affair, the requests for Latin masses by traditionalist Catholics, etc …
France Bleu Isère: You have been installed, introduced this weekend. With what project for this diocese of Grenoble-Vienne?
Jean-Marc Eychenne: I would gladly say, returning the question, that my project is first of all that of not having one. I arrive in a diocese with people who have preceded me, who will undoubtedly still be there after me and I say to myself “how, with what I am, I will insert myself in this dynamic of co-responsibility“. This is a dimension that we are deepening a little today, under the impulse of Pope Francis, with synodality, that is, co-responsibility. There is no longer a single leader who asks to apply his policy, but people who, together, they try to tell themselves “what could we live for?”.
You have chosen as your motto “Do not act, but be acted upon”. Meaning what ?
So it is a formula of Madeleine Delbrêl (French Catholic mystic, ed) that is not written in the usual French. It means that for us who try to be people who are in spirituality, it is not simply a matter of acting on the basis of our ideology, of our beliefs, but also of letting ourselves be inspired by the Spirit of God. Therefore “let oneself act“, it’s a bit like someone who is at the helm of a sailboat, trying to catch the wind that will push it rather than wanting to do everything alone.
You have several hot folders on your desktop. In particular, the one concerning the traditionalist Catholics of the cathedral of the collegiate church of Saint-André in Grenoble. They had a dispute with your predecessor about the Latin mass. What is your position on this?
My position is somewhat the one that Pope Francis is pointing out to us. In other words, there are people attached to a personal sensitivity, to a vision of the liturgy. There are different sensitivities in the Catholic Church, while remaining together. So how can we do justice to what each of us is? Sometimes some choices can be a strong departure, which is almost an exit. And then other choices are a way of saying “I like to pray this way, so I expect to be able to do it“.
But to be clear, will you allow them to say the mass in Latin or do they have to say it in French?
So the question is not so much the Latin Mass because, even according to the Reformed liturgy, it can be celebrated in Latin – I have known religious communities linked to Gregorian chant, for example – but it is the whole of the device that includes Latin, but which it also includes another relationship of the people of God with ordained ministers, hence a sometimes more clerical vision than that advocated by the Church. So obviously I will have to meet these people and then talk together. I think the decisions made by my predecessor will take place initially. And then we will walk together.
Other news that will concern you: the continuation of the Sauvé report on pedophilia in the Church and in particular the case of Father Louis Ribes, accused of abusing children in particular in Vienna. How many testimonials have you received and what is the status of the remuneration?
So in this diocese I have not yet opened these “dossier“. I put the quotes because we must not forget that behind there are people who have been seriously injured, people who are victims. In other places, in other dioceses, I have been very aware of these problems. And really, we must change the world, it is true. to say that instead of giving priority to the protection of the institution – as we have sometimes done, even in the laws of silence – we must take care of people, they must be a priority. who was attacked by a priest who, even in these days, I he said “we are repeatedly condemned: not only are we radically wounded for our existence, but because of this law of silence, it is as if we were buried alive“If our institution has had problems, we have to recognize that and we have to change things, change the way we operate so that we don’t really fall back into that.
So are you going to meet the collective of victims?
Yes of course. I am available to meet them and see how we can help them not only to express themselves, to be listened to and then to rebuild themselves. And then get to the compensation, when required, necessary.
One last quick question on today’s meeting between Pope Francis and Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic. What do you expect from it? What does it represent?
It represents something important to us as the place of religion – or religions – in our country is a real question. And it is true that the new legislative measures, at times, worry us because they are perceived as a vision of the state on matters on which it is not necessarily competent in a secular society. If the state begins to decide what is consistent or not within a religion, religious freedom or freedom of conscience may be at stake. So we are both confident but very alert.
