In France since Monday September 12 and in Lyon Wednesday 14, a delegation of Inuits from Canada has been tracking down a Franco-Canadian priest, suspected of sexual assaults on children while he was on a mission for the Congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. , in the Canadian Far North, from 1960 to 1993. Parents of victims and representatives of the Inuit people, the nine members of the delegation demand the rapid return of Father Joannes Rivoire, 92, to the scene of his alleged attacks, so that he be judged. The old man has been on the run for almost thirty years, sheltered in a retirement home located on the hill of Croix-Rousse, in Lyon, where The world had found and questioned him in December 2021.
After requesting his extradition from the Ministry of Justice on Tuesday in Paris, the Inuit delegation saw legal obstacles arise. The Chancellery recalled that France does not extradite its nationals, while leaving open the door to mutual legal assistance with Canada. “This man is presumed innocent, he disputes everything. I don’t have any records. I hear rumours, accusations in the media, but no procedure has reached me. The process is a bit cavalier »warns Thierry Dumoulin, the priest’s lawyer from Lyon.
“Versatile Temperament”
The Inuit representatives imagined a simpler way out of their trip. They bought a plane ticket, saying they were ready to take the priest with them when they returned on Friday, September 16. On condition of convincing the person concerned. For its part, the Congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate says it is doing everything to encourage the priest to surrender. “We are determined to continue our efforts to convince Joannes Rivoire to appear in Canadian justice. This process of justice is essential, both for the presumed victims and for the people of the Inuit, but also for the Oblate missionaries and for the Catholic Church.says Vincent Gruber, head of the congregation, which has 3,700 missionaries in the world, including 87 in France.
To increase the pressure on Joannes Rivoire, the provincial of the congregation announced, Wednesday September 14, to have instituted against him a canonical dismissal procedure. Pattern : “Father Rivoire disobeyed the order to appear in court. » “I can try to convince him, get angry, but I can’t force him, I can’t physically coerce him. He has a versatile temperament. We will call Rome to find out who can convince him.insists Vincent Gruber.
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