Father Yannick Poligné, parish priest of the Parish of Saint-Louis-Marie in Brocéliande, in Montfort-sur-Meu (Ille-et-Vilaine), in the diocese of Rennes, Dol and Saint-Malo, was indicted on Sunday November 6, in Paris, for aggravated rape of a teenager and provocation of a minor to use narcotics. He was remanded in custody, the Paris prosecutor’s office told Agence France Presse (AFP), confirming information from RTL .
Aged 52, this priest from the diocese of Rennes was also examined for endangering others and illicit use of narcotics, for acts committed on the night of November 3 to 4, 2022, in Paris. He is suspected of having administered a substance to the 15-year-old without his knowledge in order to alter his judgment and control of his actions.
Born in 1970, Yannick Poligné had been ordained deacon on September 20, 1998, then ordained a priest on June 20, 1999. He was sent on a mission to Bruz to the community of l’Arche (associations that welcome adults with mental disabilities), and exercised his ministry as a priest in Cesson-Sévigné, in Rennes (Parish of Notre-Dame-de-Bonne Nouvelle), in Betton, in Melesse, Saint-Grégoire and was parish priest in Redon from 2010 to 2014. He was also responsible for the pastoral care of health at the diocesan level.
“Many trusted him and feel betrayed”, reacts the Archbishop of Rennes
“Above all, I want to assure the victim of my compassion and my full support. I understand and share the pain, anger or amazement that the faithful and the priests of the Diocese of Rennes may experience, and especially the parishioners of the parish of Saint-Louis-Marie in Brocéliande and other places where he exercised a ministry. pastoraldeclares in a press release Mgr Pierre d’Ornellas, Archbishop of Rennes. Many have trusted him and feel betrayed. I will come to meet them and listen to them this weekend and in the days that follow. With them in particular and with all the faithful, priests, deacons, consecrated women of the Diocese, we will go through this ordeal together.”.
A listening unit set up by the diocese of Rennes
“I assured civil justice of the full collaboration of the Diocese, and reported the facts to Rome to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in order to launch a canonical procedure in parallel, adds Bishop d’Ornellas. I repeat my availability for all those who will need it. I remind you that anyone can be received and listened to by the listening cell of the Diocese of Rennes (02 99 14 35 53) or with the independent service France Victimes (01 41 83 42 17)”.