Suspension of Ordinations in Fréjus-Toulon Has Been Suspended

Msgr. François Touvet, the new coadjutor of Bishop Dominique Rey in Fréjus-Toulon, announced at the end of the inaugural Mass that he would soon admit some candidates to the Holy Orders.

The Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, France, has been in the unwanted spotlight in recent years. In mid-2022, Pope Francis surprisingly suspended all ordinations in the diocese. Then Bishop Dominique Rey became the object of one of the now infamous Apostolic Visitations. And recently, Francis provided him with a coadjutor with the right of succession. Yesterday the coadjutor took office.

The disempowerment of the tradition-friendly Bishop Rey is almost complete. The coadjutor, Msgr. François Touvet, announced yesterday, at the end of the Mass for his inauguration, on behalf of Cardinal Lazarus You Heung Sik, Prefect of the Roman Clergy Dicastery, that the decree prohibiting ordination issued by Rome on April 28, 2022, has now been repealed.

The humiliation for Bishop Rey is now complete. It was held under the noses of all the priests and faithful of the diocese that for Rome alone diocesan Bishop Rey was unsuitable to make decisions about the admission of candidates to be ordained. With the day the coadjutor takes office, everything is "good" again.

The announcement is, of course, good news for the diocese, the diocesan seminary and especially for the candidates for ordination, some of whom have had to wait for a year and a half.

It is said that Msgr. Touvet will soon admit several candidates for diaconate and priestly ordination. A first consecration is scheduled for Sunday 21 January 2024 in the cathedral of Toulon. The further timetable has not yet been determined.

It remains to be seen how many and which of the candidates Msgr. Touvet will admit to the ordinations. While the impression of a normalization is conveyed to the outside world, the question of approval continues to be a burdensome one. It is to be expected that some candidates for ordination, called "indietrists" by Rome, will not be admitted in the coming years, and even more so that they will not be admitted at all. Operation Fréjus-Toulon had certain objectives, most notably the removal of Bishop Rey from power, but not only.

It is becoming apparent that the undesirable candidates are not to be dismissed, but to be worn down. You want them to give up themselves. Should they go in search of a more generous ordained minister than Monsignor Touvet will be, they will face obstacles and difficulties. If we follow the script of the current pontificate, the situation will be as follows: if unwanted candidates do not leave the field themselves, they will be encouraged to look for another bishop in another diocese who is willing to receive them, while at the same time pressure will be put on this bishop with a serious warning to turn away knocking candidates from Fréjus-Toulon.

The candidates will need patience and grace and the prayers of the faithful.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Youtube (Screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG