A French cardinal today denied accusations he covered up the sexual abuse of children amid a growing scandal that has deeply embarrassed the Catholic Church in France.
Even the fiercely secular French government weighed in, with Prime Minister Manuel Valls urging Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, to "take responsibility" in the case.
"I have never, never, never covered up acts of paedophilia," Barbarin retorted during a news conference in Lourdes, a major Catholic pilgrimage site in southwestern France where the country's bishops were meeting.
Barbarin has been caught up in the scandal over abuses that took place 25 years ago, long before he became archbishop of Lyon in 2002.
A priest in his diocese, Bernard Preynat, was charged in January after victims came forward with claims he had sexually abused Scouts between 1986 and 1991.
Prosecutors say Preynat has admitted the charges.
The victims have filed complaints against several senior diocesan officials, including Barbarin, accusing them of failing to report the priest or remove him from duty despite being aware of his past.
Barbarin said that when learned of the priest's past in 2007, he immediately called a meeting with him.
"Firstly I said 'How is such a thing possible?'. He said, 'There's no point explaining it, you wouldn't understand," Barbarin told journalists.
He then asked Preynat if he had committed further abuses since 1991 and the priest swore he had not.
Barbarin said no accusations had been made since.
"You can reproach me for having believed him... But covering up means knowing and letting it happen. Absolutely never," he said.
Accusations were made against Preynat only when a victim who was allegedly abused in the 1980s realised in 2015 that the priest was still in service.
The diocese removed Preynat in May 2015. When complaints were first made against him in the 1980s, he was merely suspended for a few months.
The case recalls the recent Oscar-winning film "Spotlight", which highlighted how the Church would transfer deviant priests between parishes in Boston in the United States.
While this practice is no longer commonplace, the French case raises the question of how deep Church authorities should dig into abuse cases lurking in their past.
"I know what must be done on current cases. But what to do with these old cases?" Barbarin asked during the news conference.
