Interestingly, press coverage in France highlighted the decision by both vicars general of the diocese to quit (and leave the diocese entirely) within a few weeks of each other earlier this year - a highly unusual move by apparatchiks who would normally have been well placed to rise up the « hierarchy » - as a potential manifestation of Mgr Aupetit’s rather authoritarian style of governance of the archdiocese.
There were other episodes - conflict with one of the most prominent (and fairly trad) Catholic high school in Paris, the decision to shut down a « pastoral center » that had gone a bit too far in « modernizing » the mass, latent conflict with the traditionalists and the faithful devoted to Latin mass, not to mention Mgr Aupetit’s prominent support of Catholic opposition to gay mariage, medically assisted procréation and IVF for lesbian couples, euthanasia, etc.
The question for most is - who leaked the 2012 email, why, and why now?
I do note that, although Mgr Aupetit has not (to my knowledge) denied the authenticity of the email, he has clearly denied any relationship of an erotic kind (if I read between the lines, his argument is that he let a woman get too close and familiar with him, and that he ended up feeling compelled to end the relationship altogether lest it be interpreted wrongly by others).
Pope Francis’s decision is quite interesting given how it contrast with his approach to Cardinal Barbarin’s resignation. He had let Cardinal Barbarin remain bishop during the entire criminal proceedings, waiting for him to be exhonerated (on appeal) of any criminal wrongdoing for failing to report a pedophile priest in his diocese, and then waited a few weeks to officially accept the resignation - the diocese of Lyon was far more ripe with division in my humble opinion (there were actual op-eds from priests and lay faithful his diocese calling for his immediate resignation).
One does wonder what made Rome feel this was such an urgent issue - unless there had indeed been a communication failure and the matter of Mgr Aupetit’s relationship with that woman had never been disclosed to Rome?
Interestingly, press coverage in France highlighted the decision by both vicars general of the diocese to quit (and leave the diocese entirely) within a few weeks of each other earlier this year - a highly unusual move by apparatchiks who would normally have been well placed to rise up the « hierarchy » - as a potential manifestation of Mgr Aupetit’s rather authoritarian style of governance of the archdiocese.
There were other episodes - conflict with one of the most prominent (and fairly trad) Catholic high school in Paris, the decision to shut down a « pastoral center » that had gone a bit too far in « modernizing » the mass, latent conflict with the traditionalists and the faithful devoted to Latin mass, not to mention Mgr Aupetit’s prominent support of Catholic opposition to gay mariage, medically assisted procréation and IVF for lesbian couples, euthanasia, etc.
The question for most is - who leaked the 2012 email, why, and why now?
I do note that, although Mgr Aupetit has not (to my knowledge) denied the authenticity of the email, he has clearly denied any relationship of an erotic kind (if I read between the lines, his argument is that he let a woman get too close and familiar with him, and that he ended up feeling compelled to end the relationship altogether lest it be interpreted wrongly by others).
Pope Francis’s decision is quite interesting given how it contrast with his approach to Cardinal Barbarin’s resignation. He had let Cardinal Barbarin remain bishop during the entire criminal proceedings, waiting for him to be exhonerated (on appeal) of any criminal wrongdoing for failing to report a pedophile priest in his diocese, and then waited a few weeks to officially accept the resignation - the diocese of Lyon was far more ripe with division in my humble opinion (there were actual op-eds from priests and lay faithful his diocese calling for his immediate resignation).
One does wonder what made Rome feel this was such an urgent issue - unless there had indeed been a communication failure and the matter of Mgr Aupetit’s relationship with that woman had never been disclosed to Rome?
It sounds like by his own admission he was not a good fit for leadership and "a source of division", quite apart from all else.