French priest accused of sexually abusing minor refugees in Morocco

The Catholic Archbishop of Rabat told AFP on Tuesday he had "fully cooperated" with Moroccan and foreign authorities after a French priest was accused of sexually abusing underage refugees in Casablanca.

Archbishop Cristobal Lopez Romero's comments came a day after Moroccan news website Enass reported that Father Antoine Exelmans ran "a system of sexual exploitation" targeting migrant and refugee minors over the course of at least four years.

"As soon as the facts were brought to our attention, we undertook the procedures required by church rules and fully cooperated with authorities, both in Morocco and abroad, by sharing the results of our investigation," Romero said.

Enass reported that a complaint had been filed in May last year against Exelmans.

Six victims

According to the website, the case allegedly involved at least six victims, mostly from Guinea with one Cameroonian.

Romero said the church was aware of the case of one victim.

Enass reported that one of the victims was a 17-year-old asylum seeker from Guinea.

Authorities in Casablanca have heard testimony from three of the six alleged victims, the news website said.

House arrest

Romero said that "the only minor victim known to us has been taken into care by the church", adding that Exelmans was currently under house arrest in France.

The church had imposed restrictions on Exelmans and banned him from any contact with minors unless another adult was present, Romero said.

The archbishop said the church had been alerted to "inappropriate behaviour" by Exelmans in July 2024.

Exelmans was assigned to the diocese of Rabat in 2016.

In late September, a group of victims of another French priest, Yves Grosjean – who was jailed in France for aggravated sexual assault – denounced the "silence" of the dioceses of Dijon and Rabat, accusing church officials of a lack of transparency in dealing with reported abuses.