VATICAN CITY
Digital Journal
AFP
Pope Francis met Friday with Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the under-fire Archbishop of Lyon suspected of covering up for a paedophile priest in a scandal that has rocked the Church in France.
“There was a meeting, nothing out of the ordinary,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told AFP, without revealing the purpose or content of the talks.
The surprise meeting came three days after the pope was quoted as saying it would be “nonsensical and imprudent” to seek Barbarin’s resignation at this stage, arguing that would be to imply he was guilty of potential criminal charges against him.
French examining magistrates are currently carrying out a preliminary investigation to decide whether to pursue charges against the archbishop for his handling of the allegations against Bernard Preynat, a priest in his diocese who has been charged with sex abuse.
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