A French appeals court has overturned the conviction of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, who had been found guilty in March 2019 of failing to report Father Bernard Preynat’s sexual abuse of boy scouts. The appeal court accepted the cardinal’s argument that he had no intention of covering up the abuse, which had occurred long before his arrival in Lyon.
Cardinal Barbarin had offered his resignation, but Pope Francis declined to accept it, instead appointing an apostolic administrator to guide the Lyon archdiocese while the cardinal pursued his appeal.