A page is turning for the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon (Var). After almost twenty-five years of episcopate, Mgr Dominique Rey, 72, announced his resignation on Tuesday January 7. The epilogue of a turbulent story for an atypical bishop, missionary… but also reckless.
A little over a year after the appointment of Mgr François Touvet as coadjutor bishop of the diocese – a sort of auxiliary bishop, but with broad powers of governance and above all a right of immediate succession upon the departure of the bishop – in November 2023, Bishop Rey explains his decision with a request from Pope Francis.
A request from the Pope according to Mgr Rey
“The nuncio informed me that the Holy Father was asking me to lay down my office as diocesan bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, without my being aware of any new elements compared to those which had motivated the appointment of the 'coadjutor bishop'he says in a press release published on the diocese website. In an interview with Christian familyhe specifies that he sent a letter of resignation on December 31 to Pope Francis, a resignation made official by the Vatican on January 7. The Pope received him in a private audience on December 22, 2023.
A meeting where, according to Mgr Rey, Francis would have “encouraged to assume this collaboration in a fraternal spirit, and not to resign”. “I was ready to continue my missionhe assures Christian family. This sudden change of direction therefore constitutes a test and a moment of questioning myself. »
However, this resignation appears to be the logical continuation of a disavowal concerning his governance of the diocese. An apostolic investigation by the Vatican had revealed an inconsiderate reception of a multitude of communities, notably traditionalists, of priests, sometimes out of line, and of seminarians, which damaged the unity and balance of the diocese. An investigation which followed a “fraternal visit” conducted in 2021 in the diocese by the Archbishop of Marseille Jean-Marc Aveline.
On the basis of the report which followed, and information sent directly to Rome, the Vatican then asked to “suspend ordinations”, a very rare decision announced on the diocese website in June 2022? Ordinations had finally resumed in the diocese of Toulon in 2024, nine of the ten young people whose ordination had been suspended having finally been ordained deacons or priests, according to Mgr Rey.
The appointment of a coadjutor bishop
A few months later, on February 7, 2023, the apostolic nunciature in France announced an apostolic visit – a procedure which can be triggered by Rome after complaints concerning problems of governance, sexual abuse or sectarian excesses – to try to understand the dysfunctions reported in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon.
It was then led by the Archbishop of Dijon, Mgr Antoine Hérouard, assisted by Mgr Joël Mercier, former secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy. If Mgr Dominique Rey had recognized “ errors of assessment and discernment in the reception and monitoring of certain communities” and that he had previously initiated attempts at reforms, the Vatican decided to appoint a coadjutor bishop to his side.
The pope had attributed vast prerogatives to Mgr François Touvet with “the special powers of the diocesan government in the areas of administration, management of the clergy, training of seminarians and priests, support of institutes of consecrated life, societies of apostolic life and associations of the faithful ». Which in fact left little room for maneuver for Mgr Rey. So much so that many thought, in France and in Rome – even if there was no obligation to do so – that the bishop from the Emmanuel community would give up his office sooner.
When resigning, the bishop known for having been the spearhead of the new evangelization in the years 2000-2010, multiplying missionary initiatives, wanted to defend his record of almost twenty-five years of episcopate. “Thanks to the pastoral mobilization of parishes, the contribution of movements and communities of various spiritual sensibilities, to the diakonia of the Var, to the influence of religious life, our diocese has been able to offer an evangelical witness and a recognized missionary vitality”he pleads in his press release, without mentioning the abuses and serious irregularities. “I have launched many initiatives,” he explains to Famille Chrétienne. The majority of them have borne fruit and are perennial. However, some – I think around 10% – have been problematic. »
And now, what will the 72-year-old bishop do? After a time of “rereading”those who do not intend to retire intend to continue their mission with priorities “respect and defense of life and the family” or the Christian presence in the media and communication networks.
