A suspended psychoanalyst-priest suspected of sexual abuse and banned from ministry crashed a Vatican conference on priesthood last week.
Once called the “shrink of the Church”, Fr Tony Anatrella (81), registered for the event on his own accord.
He joined around 400 participants in the Paul VI Hall to hear Pope Francis speak, attended the event for two of its three days and even dined with other attendees at Casa Santa Marta.
An unwelcome guest
Embarrassed event organiser, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, said Anatrella had not been invited. Registrations were managed by a local professional company and Anatrella simply registered and showed up.
As head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, Ouellet has one of the most significant roles in the Catholic Church. His office vets prospective bishop candidates to lead dioceses across most of the world.
‘Stupefaction’ and ‘dismay’ were terms used by one bishop when he noticed the suspended psychoanalyst-priest.
Why he was unwelcome
Anatrella was sanctioned by the Archbishop of Paris in 2018 and has been under the shadow of a canonical trial since 2021 after complaints from former patients.
They accused the priest-therapist of practising ‘therapies’ aimed at ‘curing’ them of homosexuality, which led to sexual abuse.
His ability to hear confessions or spiritually accompany people was subsequently removed and he was asked to renounce all public interventions and therapeutic activities.
In 2007, three civil cases against Anatrella were dismissed.
In 2019 the diocese received a new allegation dating back to 1974.
In 2021 the Diocese of Paris began a canonical trial which is still underway. Trial details are not public.
Anatrella has repeatedly denied all accusations saying he is a victim of factions in the Church.
Security questioned
In his weekly Letter from Rome column, the Editor of la Croix International, Robert Micken, has been vocal in his criticism of the Vatican’s handling of the matter.
“Even if an outside company handled the logistics, did no one among the Vatican organisers – chief among them Cardinal Ouellet – think that maybe it might a good idea to check who had actually signed up for symposium?” he asked when La Croix broke the story.
“Just for security reasons alone. After all, the registered participants were going to be in the same room with the pope!
“Secondly, Anatrella isn’t just any old priest. He’s been a fixture around the Vatican for many years, serving as one of its most influential advisors on sexual matters,” Mickens clarified.
Sources
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