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

(Image credit: Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images)

published 7 March 2019

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.

The statute of limitations on some charges had expired, and even the prosecutor argued against convicting Barbarin, citing a lack of grounds to prove legal wrongdoing. Still, the court convicted him for not reporting the abuse in 2014 and 2015. Barbarin says he became aware of Preynat's alledged crimes only in 2007, but Preynat's victims argue that church officials knew as early as 1990 and covered up the abuse.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox