Lyon court convicts top French Catholic cardinal of covering up sex abuse

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin
(Image credit: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images)

In a surprise verdict Thursday morning, a court in Lyon, France, convicted Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of not reporting child sexual abuse by a priest in his diocese, Rev. Bernard Preynat, to civil authorities.

Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon and one of France's top Catholic prelates, was given a six month suspended prison sentence his lawyer said will be appealed; Barbarin himself was not in court. Five other defendants were acquitted, and Preynat, who has admitted to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s, will be tried separately later this year.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.