Victim of an Alsatian priest when she was a minor, Corinne expected a lot from the Church following the publication of the report of an independent commission on sexual abuse in the fall of 2021. But a year later, no start of taking into account charge. La Colmarienne has lost confidence in the institution.
The fight continues for Corinne. One year after the publication of the report of the independent commission on sexual abuse in the Church (Ciase), the Colmar clerk continues to testify. There are hundreds of victims in France waiting for recognition of their suffering and compensation for the damage suffered. Corinne wears this Wednesday, September 28 the same skirt as during our interview a year earlier. Thus, the 56-year-old woman wears the symbol of immobility:
“Nothing has changed for my recognition as a victim and for my care. But how can I move on without being recognized as a victim? »
The complaint for rape of a minor filed by Corinne? Classified without follow-up by the parquet floor of Colmar because of the prescription. The priest who sexually abused her? Despite the decision of the Vatican which forbids him to celebrate a mass, the Archbishop of Strasbourg Monsignor Ravel has decided to preserve the reputation of the aggressor and not to make this apostolic prohibition public. “What should I do to finally be recognized as a victim? asks the Colmarian, her voice full of despair.
“We are moving too slowly”
In April 2022, Corinne received confirmation from the Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation (Inirr), created by the Conference of Bishops of France, as to the handling of her request. Four months later, another email from Inirr puts her beside herself. The president of the institution apologizes to the victims of touching, sexual assault or rape who deplore a procedure that is too slow:
“We are moving too slowly, but we are moving forward, today nearly 40 decisions have been made, including nearly 30 with a financial component. To date, 138 situations have been taken into account, some have completed the process, others are in progress. It’s still too little, far too little compared to the hundreds who are waiting (more than 700). »
Extract from the email of the president of the Inirr
“People never want to talk about that”
Like 700 other victims, Corinne is still awaiting the designation of a referent to accompany her in the care of the Inirr. A situation that accentuates his feeling of loneliness:
“There was a group of Alsatian victims. But even between victims there is tension and two victims have finally created a new group. The former referent of the diocese in matters of sexual abuse was to come to see me in June… then nothing. And there is also the catechist of my childhood, to whom I had told that the priest had kissed me. She contacted me after I testified in Liberation. She was talking about a visit, but it never worked. In fact, people never want to talk about it. »
In September, “I received 1.93 euros in salary”
On work stoppage since October 2019, the clerk has not been granted long-term leave. After a first refusal of her request, Corinne was appraised by the expert psychiatrist Henri Brunner, whose sloppy appraisals and destructive remarks have already been described in an investigation by Rue89 Strasbourg. The employee of the Colmar judicial court must continue to fight to finally benefit from this work stoppage reserved for victims of serious illnesses. A situation that borders on the absurd:
“I’ve had only one boss in my life, it’s the state. This is how this employer treats its staff. For the month of September, I received 1.93 euros in salary. It is an unspeakable contempt…”
In May 2022, Corinne obtained a new psychiatric expertise, which recognizes part of the trauma suffered. His psychiatrist also produced a certificate indicating that “returning to work currently appears to be contraindicated, the risk of an acute relapse appearing very high. “However, four months later, the situation has still not improved: “I was asked to take an availability for personal reasons. But in this case, I have neither a salary nor the possibility of receiving unemployment…”
“An anger that rises in me from being trampled on”
“I’m no longer able to think, I can no longer read a book or watch a film,” continues Corinne. The grandmother is on the verge of tears when she talks about the consequences of her situation for those around her:
“One day, in front of my three-year-old granddaughter, I reacted to an email which once again told me that my situation was not going to change. I started screaming. It hurt me so much that my granddaughter could see her dilapidated grandma…”
Today, Corinne has lost confidence in the Church and the State: “The only association that helps me, brings me listening, empathy and benevolence, which I could have expect from the Church, it is a secular association that gives it to me, through the shrink and the speaking circles of the Association Syndicale des Familles Monoparentales et Recomposées (ASFMR). “In order not to lose hope, the Colmarienne needs to testify: “There is an anger that rises in me from being trampled on. I know it’s only through force and anger that I’ll end up getting something. »
One year after the Ciase report, the Inirr is holding a press conference on the morning of Friday, September 30, to take stock of its action.
One year after Church sex abuse report, ‘nothing has changed for victims’