Overview
- The apostolic nunciature said Pope Francis solicited and accepted Jean‑Paul Gusching’s resignation on September 27 due to relationships with women.
- Precautionary measures bar Gusching from residing in the dioceses of Verdun and Amiens and prohibit all public liturgical and pastoral activity.
- A preliminary canonical investigation is in progress under Mgr Stanislas Lalanne and Mgr Philippe Ballot.
- The nunciature says a notification was made to civil authorities, but Verdun prosecutor Delphine Moncuit says her office has received nothing.
- Gusching acknowledged a consensual relationship with an adult woman from about 2015 to 2022, denied other alleged relationships, and attributed the turmoil to jealousies.