The stance of an influential French cardinal Francis was elected as France’s top bishop on Wednesday, a country in the Catholic Church’s revelation due to child sexual abuse.
The Archbishop of Marseille, 66, Jean-Marc Aveline, was elected as head of the Council of Bishops of France (CEF) for a three-year term.
Smiling, affable Avilin advocates dialogue between religion and culture, as well as defense of immigration, which are the tenets of Pope Francis’ pope.
At a critical moment, he took over one of the world’s most influential bishops, as the French Catholic Church was shocked by claims of sexual violence and was under pressure to explain its silence surrounding its charity idol Abbe Pierre.
Considered a leader, Aveline was elected in the first round by the bishop of the southwestern town of Lourdes, quickly gaining the necessary two-thirds majority.
On July 1, Aveline will take over as Archbishop of Reims Eric De Moulins-Beaufort, who is completing a six-year term.
Born in Algeria, Aveline spent most of his life in the southern port city of Marseille, a historic immigration portal, and he was a symbolic figure.
He was appointed as the auxiliary bishop of Marseille in 2013 and the Cardinal in 2022.
In his favorite, he also mentioned that he became the next pope.
In 2023, Pope Francis visited Marseille during a two-day trip, where he led thousands of believers into the stadium for mass.
OL-CG-AS/RMB
