Pope Francis has not accepted the resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin. Given the difficulties the Archdiocese of Lyon is going through at the moment, he said, the pope left the decision to the archbishop himself.
Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said Tuesday. Barbarin had decided to "withdraw for a certain period of time". During that time, his vicar general, Yves Baumgarten, should take charge of the archdiocese, Gisotti said.
Barbarin was on 7. In March, he was given a suspended sentence for failing to report a priest who sexually abused several underage boy scouts some 40 years ago. The priest's guilt has not yet been legally established.
"It is important for the Holy See to reaffirm its closeness to all victims of abuse, as well as to all the faithful of the Diocese of Lyons and the entire Church in France, all of whom are going through a particularly painful moment," Gisotti's statement reads.
Bishops' conference is astonished
Meanwhile, the president of the French Bishops' Conference, Georges Pontier, has expressed surprise at the Pope's decision on Cardinal Philippe Barbarin. This leads to an unprecedented situation, Pontier said, according to French media reports.
Pontier sees the situation that has now arisen as a "conflict between two demands". On the one hand, the legal process must be respected – Barbarin has appealed against the verdict – and on the other hand, there is the good of the diocese
Abuse cases not reported
Barbarin is the highest Catholic dignitary in France. Last week, he was surprisingly sentenced to six months in prison on probation for failing to report cases of sexual assault against minors. He had then announced that he would submit a request for resignation to the Pope. Unlike in Germany, in France there is a criminal obligation to report cases of sexual abuse to the judiciary.
On Monday he had met Pope Francis for a private audience. However, the Vatican had not initially elaborated on what the outcome of the audience was.