Cardinal’s cover-up trial a reckoning for French Catholics

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY
January 6, 2019

LYON, France (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church faces another public reckoning when a French cardinal goes on trial Monday for his alleged failure to report a pedophile priest who confessed to preying on Boy Scouts and whose victims want to hold one of France’s highest church figures accountable.

Nine alleged victims of the Rev. Bernard Preynat have summoned Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, 68, as a defendant in France’s most prominent clergy sex abuse case yet. Another archbishop, a bishop and the Vatican official in charge of sex abuse cases also are among the defendants ordered to court in the southeastern city of Lyon to answer allegations of a cover-up.

“This trial is an action to move justice forward,” said Alexandre Hezez, 44, who spoke to the cardinal directly about Preynat and is among those who brought the case to trial.

Barbarin sought counsel on how to handle abuse accusations against Preynat from the Vatican official, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, who recommended disciplinary measures while “avoiding a public scandal.” However, Ladaria won’t be present during the three-day trial since the Vatican has invoked his diplomatic immunity.

It could not extend the same protection to Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon since 2002. Pope Francis has praised him as “brave” and said French justice should take its course.

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