Pope Francis has declined to accept the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin as archbishop of Lyon after he was convicted of failing to report a known predator priest to police, the Vatican said yesterday.
Barbarin had traveled to the Vatican this week to present his resignation following the March 7 verdict and six-month suspended sentence he received.
The Vatican spokesman, Alessandro Gisotti, said that during the audience, Francis didn’t accept the resignation and instead asked Barbarin to do what he thinks is best for the archdiocese. Barbarin has decided to take time away and has asked his deputy in Lyon, the Rev. Yves Baumgarten, to assume leadership of the archdiocese, Gisotti said.
“The Holy See repeats its closeness to victims of abuse, to the faithful of the archdiocese of Lyon and the French church who are living in a particularly difficult moment,” Gisotti said.
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