Pope Francis has explained his decision not to accept the resignation of Cardinal Barbarin, who was convicted of abuse cover-ups. He thus confirmed statements of the cardinal. He could not "morally accept" the resignation.
Pope Francis "morally could not accept" the resignation of the archbishop of Lyon because of the presumption of innocence, the church leader told journalists traveling with him on Sunday on a flight back from Morocco. "Let's wait for the verdict of the second instance and see what happens."