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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 8 March 2019

French court convicts cardinal of not reporting child abuse

By NICOLAS VAUX-MON- wrote.
TAGNY Barbarin was not present at
Associated Press the Lyon court Thursday. His
LYON, France (AP) — lawyer, Jean-Felix Luciani,
French Cardinal Philippe said he will appeal.
Barbarin said Thursday he “This is a decision that is not
will offer his resignation to fair at the juridical level,”
Pope Francis, after a court Luciani said. He added:
found him guilty of failing to “We hope that at the next
report allegations of sexual step, justice will be done.”
abuse of minors by a priest. The Vatican didn’t immedi-
The Lyon court’s surprise ately respond to a request
decision was seen by al- for comment.
leged victims as a victory Preynat has confessed to
for child protection and a abusing Boy Scouts in the
strong signal to the Catho- 1970s and ‘80s and will be
lic Church. tried separately.
The court handed Barba- Nine people who said
rin a six-month suspended the priest abused them
prison sentence for not re- brought the case against
porting the cases in the pe- Barbarin to court.
riod between July 2014 and “This is a victory that sends
June 2015. a strong signal to lots of
In a brief statement to the French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, right, arrives for a press conference in Lyon, central France, victims and a signal to the
media, Barbarin said “I Thursday, March 7, 2019. church as well,” said Fran-
have decided to go and Associated Press cois Devaux, president of
see the Holy Father to of- limitations had expired on to report” accusations be- other victims. the association “La Parole
fer him my resignation.” He some charges and even cause the alleged victims “Cardinal Barbarin never Liberee” (Lift the Burden of
said he will meet Pope Fran- the victims had expected didn’t request the ecclesi- showed any doubt about Silence), a group of victims
cis “in a few days,” and ex- that the cardinal would be astic secrecy. the information,” the court of Preynat.q
pressed his “compassion” acquitted. Alexandre Hezez, one of
for the alleged victims. Five other defendants were the alleged victims and
Alleged victims of the Rev. acquitted. among those who brought Israeli army demolishes home
Bernard Preynat claim Bar- In the court’s decision, read the case to trial, met Bar-
barin and other church of- by The Associated Press, barin in November 2014 of alleged Palestinian attacker
ficials covered up for him magistrates wrote that Bar- and kept informing him
for years, but the statute of barin “had the obligation that there were probably

Children inspect house of Palestinian Aasem Barghouti that was
bulldozed by the Israeli army in the West Bank village of Kobar,
near Ramallah, Thursday, March 7, 2019.
Associated Press

Associated Press were killed in a drive-by
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) shooting at a West Bank
— The Israeli military on bus stop. In another drive-
Thursday demolished the by shooting, seven people
family home of a Palestin- were wounded, including
ian accused in the deaths a pregnant woman whose
of two soldiers and an Is- baby later died after being
raeli newborn. delivered prematurely.
Israeli forces bulldozed the Israel arrested more than
home of Aasem Barghouti 100 Palestinians in the man-
in the West Bank village of hunt after the attacks and
Kobar near Ramallah. Barg- killed Barghouti’s brother
houti was arrested earlier in a raid. Israel said Barg-
this year for allegedly car- houti was carrying an au-
rying out the deadly shoot- tomatic weapon when he
ing attacks last December. was arrested several weeks
In one attack, two soldiers later.q