St. Joan of Arc

St. Joan of Arc
Question from Annonymous on 4/23/2008:

Mr. Bunson,

I read that Joan of Arc was turned over to the British by a French bishop so as to further his own agenda. I'd like to know if the Church ever took disciplinary action against that bishop.

Thanks,

Annonymous
Answer by Matthew Bunson on 4/26/2008:

The bishop in question was Pierre Cauchon, (1371-1442), the ardently pro-English bishop of Beauvais. It was he who spearheaded her trial under the prompting of the English. As the sway of the English protected him, Cauchon did not face punishment for his involvement in the trial. However, as Beauvais fell to the French, he could not return to that city. Instead, he remained with the English and subsequently took part in the coronation of King Henry VI in Paris. Ever after an agent of the English cause in France, he died at Rouen.

Pope Callistus III famously opened an investigation into the trial of Joan of Arc starting in 1452. In 1456, the Holy See confirmed that the trial of Joan was an untter miscarriage of justice, declared Joan a martyr, and condemned Cauchon for having allowed his office to be used for political ends. Joan was declared officially innocent of all charges in July 1456.