Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, 68, arrives at the Lyon courthouse to attend his trial, in Lyon, central France on Jan. 7, 2019. AP
LYON — A Catholic cardinal and five other people went on trial Monday accused of covering up for a pedophile priest who abused Boy Scouts — France’s most important church sex abuse case to date.
The case poses a new challenge to the Vatican, amid growing demands in overwhelmingly Catholic France for a reckoning with decades of clergy sexual abuse.
Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, 68, appeared in a Lyon court Monday along with other senior church officials accused of failing to protect children from alleged abuse by the Rev. Bernard Preynat. The top Vatican official in charge of sex abuse cases is among the accused, but won’t appear in court because the Vatican invoked his diplomatic immunity.
Nine people who said Preynat abused them in the 1970s and 1980s brought the case to court, and hope it marks a turning point in efforts to hold French church hierarchy accountable for hushing up abuse. The victims say top clergy were aware of Preynat’s actions for years, but allowed him to be in contact with children until his 2015 retirement.
The court case may fall apart for legal reasons. Prosecutors initially threw out it out for insufficient evidence, and Barbarin maintains his innocence. His lawyer says his client never obstructed justice because the statute of limitations had passed on the acts in question by the time Barbarin was informed.
If found guilty of failing to report the priest’s actions, the defendants could face up to three years in prison and a 45,000-euro ($51,300) fine. Barbarin and some other defendants are also charged with failing to assist a person in peril.
Pope Francis has praised Barbarin as “brave” and said French justice should take its course.
Preynat, now in his 70s, wrote letters to some families confessing the abuse, and is to be tried separately on sexual violence charges involving 10 children.
One of his alleged victims, Alexandre Hezez, hailed the trial as an effort to “move justice forward.” Hezez, 44, 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.”
Numerous child sex abuse claims have been made against Catholic clergy in France since the 1990s, but there hasn’t been a massive wave like those seen in the U.S., Ireland or some other countries.
Barbarin is the highest-level French church figure accused of covering up abuse, and his case has cast a shadow over the diocese and the French Catholic Church. As a result, the Bishops of France last year created an ambitious commission aimed at shedding light on sexual abuse of minors in the church since 1950. A report is due in 2020. /ee