“Exemplarity” of the CRR
The Epudf is, however, a Church: why not have chosen to join an organization created by another Church?for example the Inirr (Independent National Authority for Recognition and Reparation), created by the Catholic Church in France? “We thought carefully, we compared the instances, replies Emmanuelle Seyboldt, Inirr is in direct contact with the victims but does not act as an intermediary, it does not function as a third party which will turn towards the community.
The Epudf did not itself create its own instance listening and repair because of the financial and human resources that this represents, its president tells us. If the Epudf is the largest Protestant Church in France, this corresponds to 400 parishes. A reality which is not comparable to that of Catholicism in our country. Furthermore, the choice of the CRR was also guided by the fact that its action is perceived as “copy”according to Emmanuelle Seyboldt.
The CRR's choice to rely on restorative justice was important in the EPUDF's approach. Within the Protestant Churches that it represents, this form of justice has been highlighted for around twenty years in the context of prison chaplaincy. “It’s something that touches us because words are at the heart of this justice, confides Emmanuelle Seyboldt. We are convinced that the word can repair the living, the word received, believed: if only that, it makes 90% of the repair. We think it works miracles!”
France
