French court considers cardinal’s appeal in sex abuse case

French court considers cardinal’s appeal of conviction for covering up child sexual abuse

A French cardinal’s career is on the line as an appeals court decides whether to uphold his conviction for covering up sexual abuse of children.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin resigned after the original conviction in March, but Pope Francis refused to accept it until the appeals process is complete.

Barbarin was given a six-month suspended sentence for “non-denunciation of sexual violence against minors.”

The appeals trial Thursday in Lyon comes at a time of increasing scrutiny of the church’s role in hiding abuse.

The case involves abuse by priest Bernard Preynat, who apologized to parents after being accused of abusing dozens of boy scouts from the 1970s to 1990s.

Church heirarchy did not remove him from the priesthood until this year.