PONTCALEC, France (LifeSiteNews) — In a rare move, a French civil court has condemned and fined one of the Vatican’s most prominent cardinals for expelling a nun “without reason” from her community of 35 years.
Handing down its ruling on April 3, the French court of Lorient condemned Cardinal Marc Ouellet, his accompanying two apostolic visitors, and a Dominican community of nuns for their dismissal of Sister Marie Ferréol in 2021.
Sr. Ferréol had been a member of the Institut des Dominicaines du Saint Esprit (Institute of Dominicans of the Holy Spirit) since 1987, but was summarily expelled from the traditional Mass-celebrating community between October 2020 and April 2021. As LifeSite’s Jeanne Smits has reported, her dismissal came amidst long-standing tensions within the community, which culminated in recent times with an apostolic visit and a move to align the community more with Pope Francis’ ideals.
The court ruled that Ferréol had “suffered a disgraceful and vexatious dismissal, without having committed any crime, on the basis of unestablished grounds and having been returned to secular life without care.”
Furthermore, the court stated that the order of expulsion given to Ferréol was not justified by facts, and that it was “without respect for canon law and fundamental human rights.”
Dominicans of the Holy Spirit: history of discord
The community had been increasingly filled with tension for over a decade. In part, this was caused by a move from some to proceed with the canonization process of the community’s founder, Father Victor-Alain Berto. Berto is widely recognized as an esteemed theologian and liturgist, and was Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s theologian during Vatican II.
Further concerns were raised as novices with psychological issues were reportedly subject to numerous exorcisms, which were conducted under questionable authority. Ferréol was among the members of the community who raised concerns to Rome about “serious aberrations and facts.”
The now defunct Ecclesia Dei Commission had investigated the community from 2013 and cleared the deceased Fr. Berto from all the abuse allegations against him, adding that the nuns were to “refrain from questioning this judgment.” Ecclesia Dei did discern other issues, however, and a three-year investigation led to an extensive 1,500-page report.
The Commission appointed a new superior in 2016 who attempted to unify the somewhat embattled order, which had become divided over those who supported Berto and those who opposed or made allegations against him.
But in 2020, as tensions continued between the traditional and the more historically problematic parts of the community, Cardinal Ouellet, while prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, conducted a second apostolic visitation into the community.
Conducting the visit on the orders of Pope Francis, Ouellet was accompanied by two apostolic visitors: the abbot of Saint Wandrille, one Dom Jean-Charles Nault, and Mother Emmanuelle Desjobert, who is the abbess of Boulaur.
Ferréol became the recipient of punishment from the visitation. She was initially placed in complete isolation from her community in October 2020, on the basis of an order signed by Ouellet. She has consistently stated that she was given no reason for this.
She was then formally dismissed from the community in April 2021, being told that by the Vatican that she was not suited for the religious life, formally “relieved” of her vow of virginity, and ordered to remove her traditional Dominican habit.
After Ferréol filed suit in August 2023, the Court of Justice of Lorient ruled on November 29, 2023 that the issue would be re-investigated starting March 6, 2024.
Her lawyer stated in August that Ferréol “has never known the facts of which she was allegedly guilty, despite repeated requests from her and her lawyer. Communication was refused on the grounds of ‘confidentiality.’” Ferréol condemned the “unlawful, harsh and vexatious conditions” regarding her expulsion from the community.
Ouellet’s actions on behalf of the pope have now been called into question by the Lorient court’s April 3 decision, with the AFP reporting of the court ruling that “it has not been shown that the decree of exclaustration, signed by Cardinal Ouellet [..] would have received any papal approval.”
Indeed, Francis had attempted to distance himself from any punitive actions against the community, writing in December 2021 to heavily criticize Ecclesia Dei’s 2013 investigation and cast doubts on the integrity and wisdom of exonerating Fr. Berto.
Francis also defended the changes instigated in the order at the behest of Cardinal Ouellet.
In her extensive coverage of the details regarding the community, Jeanne Smits summarized the developments which had taken place as of February 2022: “All this supports the idea that a ‘new beginning,’ hailed by Pope Francis, is indeed underway. It has all the makings of a takeover.”
Ferréol’s critics fined
Welcoming the Lorient court’s April 3 ruling, Ferréol’s lawyer said that the team “can only welcome the quality of the reasons given by the court, which carried out a thorough examination of the requests, the means and the documents submitted by the parties: his reasoning is largely developed and based on objectively ascertained elements.”
On the order of the court, Ouellet, the apostolic visitors, and the religious community will now have to pay damages to Ferréol. Her lawyer stated that the nun has suffered “material and moral” harm, as well as “an attack on her honor and privacy.”
In total, the three trade associations of the Dominican community must pay Ferréol 33,622 euros as relief. The community must also join Cardinal Ouellet and the apostolic visitors in paying 182,400 euros for material damage, 10,000 euros for moral injury, and a further €10,000.
Ferréol’s lawyers wrote that Ouellet must pay the majority share of these fines.
For their part, the Dominicans of the Holy Spirit condemned the court ruling and stated they would be “immediately” appealing it.