Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicaster for Laïcs, family and life-who exercises a jurisdiction over the international associations of faithful-accepted on July 31, 2025 the resignation of the general moderator of the Emmanuel community, Michel-Bernard de Vregille. This decision was formalized a week later because this community, which announced last March being soon the subject of an apostolic visit. Questioned by I.Mediathe Vatican did not wish to communicate on this decision, leaving full responsibility to the Emmanuel community.
It was not until August 7, 2025 that the Emmanuel community formalized the resignation with immediate effect, on July 31, of its general moderator, Michel-Bernard de Vregille. This 64 -year -old biologist, married and father of six, occupied this responsibility since 2018, and had been re -elected in 2023 for a second term which should have ended in 2028.
The abuses caused by members and certain blindness that could harm our effectiveness to hear victims were for me the source of deep sadness.
In a letter addressed to the more than 12,000 members of the community, Michel-Bernard de Vregille indicates that this beginning of this second mandate was “particularly trying”. “The abuses caused by members and certain blindness that could harm our effectiveness to hear the victims were for me the source of deep sadness,” he admits.
His mail does not cite any name, but the revelation of sexual abuse on adult women committed by Father Bernard Peyrous, former rector of the Sanctuary of Paray-le-Monial from 2009 to 2014 and the theological figure of reference, has deeply shaken the community of Emmanuel.
A former priest now returned from the Cleric State, Benoît Moulay, was also accused of rape by two women, in Le Mans and Rennes. In October 2024, the Emmanuel community announced that it had concluded a financial agreement with these two women, without specifying the amount.
An apostolic visit launched in March 2025
On March 6, 2025, Michel-Bernard de Vregille had announced the outbreak of an apostolic visit within this public association of faithful recognized by the Holy See since 1992, in order to revise its governance and its “modes of operation”, in a context of movement growth in “very different international realities”.
The general moderator of the Emmanuel community explained that this apostolic visit was to follow the seminar organized in July 2024 on the theme of governance, which had let out “tensions” and “differences of appreciation between members of the advice in the analysis and on the improvements that could be envisaged”.
“The International Council and I have written to Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, ecclesiastical assistant of the community, to ask for the help and the council of the Church,” he said in this letter, indicating that exchanges had also taken place with Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laïcs, family and life, on which the community of Emmanuel depends.
The American cardinal “estimated that an apostolic visit was the most suitable path to meet the demand for external assistance made by the general moderator and the international council,” announced Michel-Bernard de Vregille.
This apostolic visit has not yet been implemented. This delay is probably linked to the change of pontificate and the charge of Camerlingue exercised by Cardinal Farrell, who had to ensure the conduct of the government of the Church and the Vatican between the death of Pope Francis, on April 21, and the election of Pope Leo XIV, on May 8.
An interim government for one year
The daily The crossciting internal sources, indicates that “government authorities remain stable” and that this resignation of the general moderator is decorged from the apostolic visit as such. An interim government official must be elected by the community on August 9, but his profile will only be made public after validation by the Vatican. The personality chosen will then have to summon the college responsible for electing the new general moderator of the Emmanuel community within one year.
The Emmanuel community currently has more than 12,000 members -including 225 people devoted -present in particular in France, Belgium and Rwanda. It has 275 priests and a hundred seminarians, and 10 bishops come from its ranks. In Rome, she has notably in charge since 2016 the convent and the Trinity-des-Monts church.
One of the founders of the Emmanuel community, Pierre Goursat (1914-1991), recently saw the heroicity of his virtues recognized by the Dicastery for the causes of the saints. The formal identification of a miracle attributed to its intercession could therefore pave the way for its beatification.