In a highly unusual case, the Holy See has formally protested to France after a court ruled that a former Vatican official was liable for the wrongful dismissal of a nun from a religious order. The decision by the Lorient tribunal on April 3 in favor of the nun, Sabine de la Valette, highlights the court's condemnation of the Vatican's secretive process used to expel her from the Dominicans of the Holy Spirit.

The ruling by the secular civilian court found that the Vatican's in-house canonical procedures egregiously violated the nun's fundamental rights. The court determined that Valette was not given a proper defense and was never informed of the accusations against her or the reason for her expulsion from the order. The Vatican, in its statement, called the verdict a "grave violation" of religious freedom.

It is worth noting that Pope Francis had assigned Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the former head of the Vatican's bishops' office, to conduct an investigation into Valette's case. The investigation ultimately led to the nun's expulsion after 34 years as a member of the order. The Vatican's statement also mentioned potential diplomatic concerns regarding the civil verdict against Ouellet, considering his immunity as a cardinal and his status as an official of a foreign government.

Valette's attorney, Adeline le Gouvello de la Porte, stated that the French court found multiple violations of her client's fundamental rights during the Vatican's canonical investigation. The court expressed surprise that Ouellet had not recused himself from the case, as he had close ties to another sister in the community whose positions were opposed to Valette's. The court ruled that Valette's expulsion was without merit, and ordered Ouellet, the religious order, and the Vatican-mandated envoys involved in the investigation to pay over 200,000 euros ($213,000) in damages and fines.

According to French Catholic daily La Croix, the defendants are appealing the court's ruling. The Vatican frequently conducts internal investigations into religious orders and dioceses, often due to allegations of misconduct, financial mismanagement, or governance issues. These measures are considered solely internal matters within the Catholic Church.

The Lorient court's decision represents a significant intrusion of secular justice into internal church affairs. It exposes the conflict between canonical procedures and contemporary secular concepts of a fair and adversarial judicial process. Interestingly, the French justice system appears increasingly willing to confront high-ranking church officials in secular courts, especially regarding allegations of clergy sexual misconduct and cover-ups.

This follows previous instances where French courts challenged the Vatican's authority. In 2020, a French appeals court overturned a lower court's conviction of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin for covering up sexual abuse within his diocese. Similarly, a Paris court convicted a retired Vatican ambassador to France of sexual assault, lifting his immunity and allowing the trial to proceed.

The outcome of this case raises questions about the limits of the Vatican's autonomy in the face of secular justice systems and underscores the ongoing struggle to reconcile canonical practices with contemporary legal standards.