The Archbishop of Toulouse came under fire after promoting this convicted child abuser to be Chancellor of the Archdiocese.
Father Dominique Spina, who was suspended from his duties as a priest, appeared on May 11, 2005, before the Pau Assize Court “for having committed acts of penetration against the adolescent by obtaining fellatio from him through violence, coercion, threats, and surprise, with the circumstance that he had authority over him.” The young man refused to allow the hearings, which were to take place over three days, to be held behind closed doors. According to the newspaper Sud Ouest, they took place “in a detestable atmosphere,” fueled by the attitude of dozens of the priest’s supporters who came to mark their presence. Thirty witnesses were cited, including the Bishop of Bayonne, Pierre Molères, as well as priests, who, despite being informed of Dominique Spina’s actions, did not report them to the courts. The lawyer for the civil party denounced in court a code of silence on the part of the Church.
The priest claims a shared romantic relationship and attributes his confession in custody to “harassment” by the police. For her part, the victim denies any consensual relationship and claims that the priest coupled his actions with blackmail by presenting himself as the only person capable of having him admitted to the seminary. She explained to the jury that, on his part, “this is not an attack on the Church, nor a means of revenge, but a means of rediscovering a lost dignity.”
The bishop, called as a witness, denies having any knowledge of the facts, of which no one informed him, while the seminary superior claims to have only been informed by the victim of “unhealthy behavior” on the part of the priest, which he disbelieved, having, according to him, doubts about the morality of the seminarian, who allegedly sought revenge after being caught using the pink Minitel. Psychiatric assessments concluded that Dominique Spina “lacked any sense of guilt and had a perverse personality structure.” He was sentenced on May 14, 2005, to five years in prison, one of which was suspended.
He was released in July, after only two months in detention, following an appeal of the first judgment.The verdict was finally upheld at second instance by the Tarbes court on May 20, 2006, with a committal order issued, following hearings held this time behind closed doors.
The bishop spoke of an event that “had a painful impact on our diocesan Church” and “wishes to thank all those who, during this long period of waiting, showed friendship, patience, and generosity to Dominique [and] asks them to pray for him and continue their support.”
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