Former Archbishop of Paris target of sexual assault investigation

Bradley Hayden
January 4, 2023



PARIS (AP) – French police are investigating allegations that the former Archbishop of Paris sexually assaulted a woman protected by law as a vulnerable person, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Michel Aupetit, who unexpectedly resigned in December 2021 after admitting an “ambiguous” relationship with a woman in 2012, denies any wrongdoing, his lawyer said.

The police investigations against Aupetit were initiated on the basis of information from the Paris archdiocese, the Paris prosecutor said, thereby confirming French media reports.

FILE – Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit gestures during Maundy Thursday celebrations in front of the Sacre Coeur basilica April 9, 2020 in Paris. French police are investigating allegations that the former Archbishop of Paris sexually assaulted a woman protected by law as a vulnerable person, prosecutors said on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, file)

It was launched in late November 2022 over a preliminary possible charge of sexually assaulting a vulnerable person, prosecutors said. The alleged attack took place several years ago, he added, without giving further details.


Aupetit’s lawyer Jean Reinhart said the investigation was sparked by a letter to the Archdiocese of Paris. The diocese then forwarded the letter to prosecutors, an automated procedure to handle potential abuse cases that Aupetit himself instituted when he was archbishop, Reinhart said. The public prosecutor’s office then initiated the police investigation.

Reinhart said Aupetit had not seen the letter, was not told who wrote it, or what exactly was in it.

“My client is stunned, doesn’t know what the point is,” said the lawyer.

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