“Woke up too late”

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin © Romano Siciliani (KNA)

Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin has acknowledged mistakes in dealing with a sexual abuse scandal in his diocese. "In fact, I woke up too late," said the Primate of France in an interview with the newspaper "Le Parisien".

If he had met earlier with the victims, he should have said to himself: I must act immediately, said Barbarin. The Archbishop of Lyon was investigated in the spring for failing to report sexual assaults in his area of responsibility. In August, the public prosecutor's office stopped prosecuting the case. There had been no evidence of a crime on his part, it said.

Collective apology

A priest in the archdiocese allegedly sexually molested or abused more than 60 Boy Scouts. A state prosecution is now underway; a parallel canon law investigation is to begin soon. Barbarin said in the interview that for these "inwardly destroyed people" it must have been a "monstrous outrage" that "the man who did such injustice to them could continue to be a priest".

Earlier in November, French bishops had collectively asked for apology over abuse scandal. The Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, speaking on behalf of the 115 bishops present, asked for forgiveness for the "lack of courage and insight to confront the plague of sexual abuse in the Church". Too little value has been placed on the testimony of the victims, the cardinal said. Vingt-Trois spoke of "ignorance" and "indifference".

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Christina Cherry
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