Pope Leo XIV has appointed Pierre-Antoine Bozo as auxiliary bishop with the right of succession (coadjutor) for the diocese, as the Vatican announced on Tuesday.
The bishop is under investigation for attempted rape in 2013. Since 2023, the Bishop of Luçon, François Jacolin, has also administered the neighbouring diocese of La Rochelle at the Pope's behest.
Investigations continue
The accused Georges Colomb rejects the accusations of a man of legal age. They relate to Colomb's time as head of the Missions Etrangères de Paris (French Mission Abroad, MEP).
Colomb withdrew from his post for the duration of the investigations by the Paris public prosecutor's office. They continue to this day.
The new coadjutor bishop Bozo had been Bishop of Limoges since 2017. He accepts the Pope's appointment with confidence and devotion, he wrote in a statement to the people in his previous diocese.
On 19 October, he will take over the new office in La Rochelle and replace Colomb, who is still on leave.
In a statement from the diocese, Colomb expressed his delight at Bozo's appointment. He is convinced that Bozo will put his talents and his heart at the service of the faithful and the mission.
He thanked Apostolic Administrator Jacolin, with whom he had built up a trusting relationship for the good of the diocese, for exercising two important offices at the same time, "in all discretion, with an open ear for all and in the pursuit of communion".