Rome's decision to suspend the priestly and diaconal ordinations of the seminary of La Castille, in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon - originally planned for June 26 - is rare. The Vatican's decision has surprised and upset many faithful, seeming to many to be unprecedented in its scope and backed by inadequate explanation. On June 4, the day after the announcement, some of the faithful of the diocese decided to write a petition to Pope Francis.
"Several parishioners of the diocese were in contact with each other saying that we had to write to the Pope to tell him that this decision is brutal, especially with regard to seminarians deprived of ordination after seven years of study and reflection," Benoît Ab der Halden, a signatory and parishioner at St. Joan of Arc in Toulon who has been involved in the diocese for many years, told Aleteia. "The idea is to find a solution, especially for the ordinandi who find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. They find themselves stuck between the Vatican's decision and the reproaches made to a bishop in the management of his seminary and his diocese." Concerning the bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, who has led the diocese for 22 years, he says, "Bishop Rey is daring, he has tried certain things and sometimes it has not worked. But in view of the fruits of his actions within the diocese, the decision to suspend ordinations deeply shocks us."
Launched Friday, June 3, with a site up and running the next day, the petition is expected to be sent to Pope Francis next week. Here is the full text of the petition:
