"Archbishop Ventura is too weary of this situation and this commotion of which he was the object," she told CNA.
Ventura was absent for the trial, which took place on Nov. 10. A doctor said it was too dangerous for the 76-year-old Ventura, who is living in Rome, to travel to Paris while the coronavirus was surging in France. He was not present for the verdict.
Doumic had argued that the accusations against her client were minor and had been exaggerated to become "the trial of the Vatican, of hidden homosexuality at the Vatican."
She said that Ventura touched the hips or backs of the men, but the gestures lasted only a few seconds and were never sexual in intention. She also said that he may not have realized they would be considered inappropriate. She added that after Ventura was operated on for a brain tumor in 2016 he has had some behavioral problems.
Prosecutor Alexis Bouroz asked for a 10-month suspended jail term for Ventura. In France, sexual assault can be punished by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 75,000 euros (about $88,600).
The archbishop was first accused in early 2019 of inappropriately touching a staffer at a Jan. 17, 2019, reception for the New Year address of Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. The accusation was then investigated by Parisian authorities for several months.