Cardinal Philippe Barbarin © Paul Haring (KNA)
A court has postponed the trial date of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, accused of covering up abuse, to 7. to 9. January set. Meanwhile, an online petition calling for 100.000 signatures the resignation.
Lyon Archbishop and Gallic Primate Cardinal Philippe Barbarin (67) is accused of failing to prosecute sexual assaults on minors. Five other suspects, mostly diocesan employees, must also appear in court, according to French media reports (Tuesday), but not the current prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, 74.
The Jesuit, then a staff member and not head of the congregation, reportedly advised Barbarin to punish the abusive priest in question internally to avoid a public scandal. According to victim advocate Nadia Debbache, Ladaria had already been served with a subpoena in June. However, he had not acknowledged receipt so far. Without this acknowledgement of receipt, the Lyon Court of Appeals has not yet formally heard the case.
Ten complaints on file
Complainants against Cardinal Barbarin are ten victims of a pedophile priest, former scouts from the second half of the 80s. They accuse Barbarin of not following up on relevant accusations against priest Bernard Preynat in 2007.
In total, he is said to have assaulted at least 70 children. The plaintiffs demand a new trial date for April, according to media reports. All seven accused, including Ladaria, would have to be heard and tried together.
Barbarin had already been investigated in 2016 for failing to report sexual assault by another priest. At the time, prosecutors dropped the case after a few months; there had been no evidence of a crime on his part.
Cardinal Barbarin admitted mistakes
In August 2017, cardinal acknowledged mistakes in handling sexual abuse reports in an interview. His actions in 2007 were "not appropriate" to the seriousness of the incidents. At the same time, he stressed that he had "covered up absolutely nothing"; that word was "inadmissible" in the context.
Barbarin explained that the priest in question, after filing a complaint in 2007, had affirmed that nothing had happened since 1991. He had this investigated and left the priest in office at the time. "Some say that is not possible, because abusers are inevitably repeat offenders," the primate said. In fact, however, nothing more has become known to this day.
An online petition calling for the resignation of Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin had more than 102 as of Tuesday morning.000 signatories found. A French priest from Valence had launched the petition shortly after a letter from Pope Francis urging Catholics from around the world to mobilize against clergy sexual abuse.