Two French Priests Investigated in Church Sex Scandal

Priests investigated for sexual abuse and possession of child porn.

ByABC News
April 2, 2010, 10:26 AM

PARIS, April 2, 2010 -- On the eve of Easter weekend, the church has been shaken by yet another sex scandal, this time involving French priests.

A priest in Rouen, Normandy, in western France, faces possible legal charges for suspected sexual abuse of a minor nearly two decades ago. Wednesday, Father Jacques Gaimard of Rouen was placed under investigation, one step short of being formally charged, following a legal complaint brought by an alleged victim in February last year.

The abuse allegedly took place in 1992 and 1993.

"I'm busy right now and I'm not interested in talking to you," Father Gaimard said before hanging up the phone when ABC News called him today.

Father Gaimard, who also manages a Christian radio station in Normandy, is free but under police supervision.

According to his lawyer, Pierre Houppe, Father Gaimard has acknowledged the abuses, but minimized their importance. He said they took place during outings with the church.

"It is a sexual abuse, but we're only talking about caresses," Houppe told France 2 TV today. Four other plaintiffs are believed to have come forward alleging similar abuses, but these cases are considered too old to be tried under French law.

French police also questioned another priest from the same diocese of Rouen, Father Philippe Richir, priest of the Saint-Martin de Canteleu church, as part of an investigation into illegal possession of child pornography. Father Richir was questioned under the status of assisted witness. He has not been officially charged.

Investigators working on the Father Gaimard case decided to question Father Richir after they found some possibly compromising pictures during their probe.