French cardinal to be tried for covering up child abuse

PARIS (AA) - French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin will go on trial in April on charges of failing to report a pedophile priest accused of sexually abusing children in the Catholic Church of Lyon over 25 years ago, a local court ruled Tuesday.

The court ruled, Barbarin, 66, would go on a three-day trial on April 4 next year along with six co-defendants.

Three alleged victims, who were boy scouts in the 1980s, claim they were molested by a priest, Bernard Preynat, between 1986 and 1991. An initial complaint was filed against the priest in 2009, but was dismissed by a French court because of a lapse of time.

The victims came forward again in January 2016 and Preynat was charged after he admitted wrongdoing.

Barbarin - currently serving as Archbishop of Lyon and was once tipped as a successor to Pope Francis - and the six other senior church officials were handed preliminary charges in March 2016 over a failure to report a crime and endangering others.

The Cardinal repeatedly denied any cover-up and said he heard about the abuse from the victims in 2009 when they filed the first complaint.

However, the victims claim Barbarin was aware of the abuse the priest had carried out and did nothing.

Barbarin is the most senior French Catholic leader to be tried for allegedly failing to report a pedophile priest.