- In France, the Catholic Church is introducing a QR code card for priests.
- This should enable a quick check of the clergyman.
- Congregations can use a smartphone to see whether a priest is not allowed to work with children because of allegations of abuse.
The card is linked to a national register set up in France after numerous cases of abuse. The card is intended to prevent priests who have attracted negative attention from disappearing from the radar and practicing their profession elsewhere, where their history is unknown.
Legend:
This is what a sample of the French priest’s card from the Catholic Church looks like.
Conférence Des Évêque/press release/screenshot
The card is similar to the French identity card. In addition to personal data and a QR code, there is also a photo and an identification number that church officials can use to call up the clergyman’s files from the register.
Against scammers
It should also be prevented that men unjustifiably pretend to be priests in order to want to hold a mass out of religious zeal or other motives. Even scammers sometimes pretend to be clergy.
In 2021, for example, a serial scammer was sentenced to prison in southern France who had been up to mischief for more than two decades as “Father Don Romano”.
Legend:
A French priest preaches in the Saint-François-Xavier church in Paris.
REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
The man pretended to be a Franciscan monk and elicited 2,500 euros from a well-intentioned woman for an alleged children’s home in Africa. In addition, he repeatedly took advantage of the benevolence of church communities, had himself billeted, read masses and heard confessions.
In Germany, too, there is a national priest’s identity card. According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, however, it consists only of paper and is provided with a stamp.