TOURS (FRANCE)
La Croix International [Montrouge Cedex, France]
November 29, 2024
A priest found guilty of sexually abusing minors has been sentenced to a lifetime ban from ministry by a church tribunal established by the Catholic Church in response to sexual abuse scandals, according to a statement published November 28.
A church tribunal established to address sexual abuse scandals has sentenced a priest from Tours, France, who led a renowned youth choir, to a lifetime ban from ministry due to sexually abusing multiple children.
“Father Bernard Tartu, a priest of the Archdiocese of Tours, has been found guilty of sexual abuse of minors by the National Canonical Penal Tribunal (TPCN),” the archdiocese said in a press release published November 28, confirming information initially reported by the French newspaper, Le Parisien.
The statement read that the 80-year-old priest has been sentenced to a “perpetual ban on the public celebration of any liturgical act or sacrament,” except the right to celebrate Mass privately.
He is also subject to a “perpetual ban on performing any ministry involving spiritual accompaniment of minors.” Additionally, the TPCN imposed a “residence restriction,” effectively confining him to his home.
Relief among victims
Father Tartu founded the “Little Singers of Touraine” choir in 1954, affiliated with the Tours Cathedral, through which approximately 1,000 young boys participated until the early 2000s.
The court’s decision brought relief to the victims, who will share their reactions during a November 29 press conference in Tours alongside Archbishop Vincent Jordy and Marie Derain de Vaucresson, president of the Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation (INIRR).
In December 2021, the victims organized into a collective named “The Liberated Voices,” comprising about 70 former choirboys.
According to the collective, at least 20 individuals have identified themselves as victims of Father Tartu. Seven approached the INIRR, while nine filed cases with the TPCN. Some ten victims filed criminal complaints, though most were dismissed due to statutes of limitations.
The French bishops established the TPCN in late December in Paris as a new body within the Catholic Church’s internal legal system that specifically handles cases of sexual assault and other serious offenses.