VATICAN CITY
Vatican News
March 6, 2020
By Benedict Mayaki
Cardinal Barbarin’s resignation as Archbishop of Lyon follows his acquittal after being accused of covering up sexual abuse cases by a priest.
Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin as the Archbishop of Lyon, France.
Cardinal Barbarin had first submitted his resignation to Pope Francis on 18 March 2019. Pending the end of his court case, the Pope did not accept it at that time. Rather, he preferred to allow him to “make the best decision for the diocese.”
On 30 January, Cardinal Barbarin was acquitted of a suspended six-month sentence by a French court in March 2019. He was originally convicted of failing to report cases of sexual abuse of minors by a priest in his diocese to legal authorities.
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