In France, the Catholic Church has introduced a measure to simplify the verification of clergy: the priest card with QR code. By using smartphones, municipalities can quickly determine whether a priest is not allowed to work with children and young people because of allegations of abuse, for example.
The card is linked to a national register set up in France after numerous cases of abuse. The purpose of this card is to prevent disgraced priests from quietly disappearing and going elsewhere where their past is unknown.
Identification number is intended to protect against misuse
The card is similar to the French identity card and, in addition to personal data and the QR code, also contains a photo and an identification number that allows church officials to access the pastor’s files in the register. This is also to prevent men from impersonating priests without permission, either out of religious zeal or other motives, in order to hold a mass.
Fraud also damages the reputation of the Church
It also happens that scammers pretend to be clerics. An example of this happened in the South of France in 2021, when a serial con man named “Father Don Romano” was sentenced to prison. This man posed as a Franciscan monk for more than two decades and, for example, stole 2,500 euros from a trusting woman for an alleged children’s home in Africa. In addition, he benefited from the benevolence of church communities, had himself billeted with them, held masses and received confessions.
Source: Krone
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