The bishop calls it ‘mercy’.
Controversy in the Diocese of Toulouse. Bishop Guy de Kerimel has appointed Father Dominique Spina as Chancellor and Episcopal delegate for marriages. He was sentenced in 2006 on appeal in Tarbes to five years in prison, one of which was suspended, for rape of a minor. The incident occurred in 1993 in Béarn, against a 16-year-old high school student.
The decision was made in early June but only began to make waves in early July. In a series of appointments dated June 2nd and effective September 1st, 2025, Archbishop Guy de Kérimel of Toulouse appointed Father Dominique Spina as chancellor and episcopal delegate for marriages in the diocese. In 2006, Father Spina was sentenced to five years in prison, one of which was suspended, for the rape of a 16-year-old high school student in 1993 in Béarn.
In the 1990s, Father Spina served as chaplain at the Louis Barthou and Saint John Perse high schools in Pau. In this capacity, he met Sébastien, a student described as fragile and who wanted to become a priest. In 2002, Sébastien filed a complaint against Dominique Spina for rape and sexual assault. While in police custody, he confessed to some of the facts, a confession he later retracted before the investigating judge. Sentenced to serve a sentence, Father Spina was then transferred to the Archdiocese of Toulouse.
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