French cardinal accused of abuse cover-up defends himself

By Loup Besmond De Senneville
Le Croix
April 13, 2017

https://international.la-croix.com/news/french-cardinal-accused-of-abuse-cover-up-defends-himself/5010

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin Photo by Eric Cabanis

In addition to celebrating mass on Holy Wednesday in Lyon on 12 April, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin spoke at length on the situation of Father David Gréa, the emblematic priest of the Saint Blandine parish in central Lyon who had announced a few weeks ago that he wished to get married.

Archbishop Barbarin also addressed matters related to pedophilia.

Both issues were discussed for the first time in a letter addressed to all the priests in the diocese.

Regarding the situation of Fr Gréa, Cardinal Barbarin said he regretted that Gréa “did not take the time to think things over as [he] had asked him to do”. 

The priest has, in fact, announced his intention to get married in a civil ceremony on Saturday the 15th of April, on the same day that the church will be celebrating Holy Saturday.

Canonical measure

The Archbishop of Lyon also said he had taken a “canonical measure” against the priest. In this case, he applied Canon 1,394, which entails the automatic suspension of a priest as soon as he gets married. 

In the Gréa case, Church law envisages the suspension of the priest - that is, banning him from celebrating the sacraments - then dismissing him from the clergy.

The emblematic priest from Lyon had explained in a letter read out at Sunday mass on the 19th of February that he was taking “time off for reflection and discernment”.

Fr Gréa said he had done so at the request of Cardinal Barbarin, to whom he had confessed his doubts about celibacy for priests. “I’ve begun to build a relationship with a woman with whom I think God has called upon me to live,” he explained in the letter. 

The Cardinal defends himself

In addition to the Gréa case, Cardinal Barbarin also spoke on the importance of fighting pedophilia in the diocese. 

Three weeks previously the TV station France 2 aired an episode of Cash Investigation in which it was reported that many bishops, including Cardinal Barbarin, had shielded priests accused of pedophilia.

Among other things, the France 2 journalists had gone to meet a priest convicted by a court but still serving in a parish in Lyon. In the book Church, the mechanics of silence the reporters from Mediapart wrote extensively on many cases covered for years by the Catholic hierarchy in Lyon.

“Today, no priest identified as the perpetrator of a single abuse of a minor would exercise any ministry in the parish,” said the Cardinal. “All the facts reported by the press are known to the law. The families must be able to have faith in the church.”

“The church’s priority is always the victims”

He also referred to the case of Fr Bernard Preynat who was indicted on 27 January 2016 for the alleged sexual abuse of boy scouts in the Lyon area between 1986 and 1991. 

Preynat's case is currently being tried under canonical law.

“The civil court and that of the church are pursuing their work,” Cardinal Barbarin said. “The case has been handed over to three priests from outside the diocese, and the hearings have been going on for many weeks now."

“The Church’s priority is the victims,” added the Cardinal. “I thank the victims who agreed to meet us. I would like to reiterate that my door is always open to them. You can all help to convey this message.”