French court convicts cardinal of not reporting child abuse

Associated Press

LYON, France

In a surprise ruling, France’s senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, was convicted Thursday of failing to report a known pedophile priest to police, the latest high-ranking churchman to fall in the global reckoning over clergy sex abuse and cover-ups.

Magistrates in Lyon found that Barbarin had an obligation to report the Rev. Bernard Preynat to civil authorities and gave the cardinal a six-month suspended prison sentence.

Barbarin offered to resign.

Preynat, who is scheduled to be tried on sexual violence charges next year, has confessed to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s. People who said they were among the victims accused Barbarin and other church officials of covering up the priest’s crimes for years.

Nine victims brought the case to trial. A group of Preynat’s victims hailed the unanticipated conviction as a victory for child protection and a strong signal that church leaders will be held accountable.

“We see that no one is above the law. We have been heard by the court,” said Francois Devaux, president of La Parole Liberee (Lift the Burden of Silence.)

The verdict came as a surprise since the statute of limitations had expired on some charges.

At the end of the trial, prosecutors argued for an acquittal, saying there were no grounds to prove legal wrongdoing.

Five co-defendants – an archbishop, a bishop, a priest and two other officials – were acquitted.