NEW YORK (NY)
Fox News
March 7, 2019
By Lukas Mikelionis
France’s most senior cardinal was found guilty on Thursday of failing to report allegations of sexual abuse of minors by a priest to authorities.
Cardinal Philippe Barbarin was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for providing cover for the Rev. Bernard Preynat by not going to authorities about the alleged abuse between July 2014 and June 2015.
Nine alleged abuse victims claim that Barbarin and the clergy covered up crimes committed by Preynat for years, though the statute of limitations had expired on some allegations and thought that the court would actually acquit the cardinal.
Five other defendants were acquitted.
Barbarin’s lawyer Jean-Felix Luciani said they will appeal the ruling.
“This is a decision that is not fair at the juridical level,” the lawyer said. “We hope that at the next step, justice will be done.”
Preynat previously admitted to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s and will be tried in a separate case.
“This is a victory that sends a strong signal to lots of victims and a signal to the church as well,” said Francois Devaux, who is the president of “La Parole Liberee” (Lift the Burden of Silence). “We see that no one is above the law. We have been heard by the court. This is the end of a long path.”
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