Greatest cooperation “in all transparency with justice”. This has been reiterated by cardinal Philippe Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon, after that, yesterday, as part of the preliminary investigations opened by the public prosecutor’s office of Lyon, the detectives searched the archbishop’s palace. The cardinal is involved in a case of sexual abuse committed about 25 years ago by a priest, father Bernard Preynat, on some boy scouts. It is the diocese of Lyon that gave the news of the searches. “As part of the preliminary investigations opened by the public prosecutor’s office of Lyon, the diocese of Lyon has been called to give the detectives, who have come today for a search, the information that justice needs to have to shed light on these painful events”. “On several occasions, cardinal Philippe Barbarin – the diocese’s notice goes on – expressed his will to cooperate in all transparency with justice: he is confidently willing to help and he renews the hope that justice may act with the peace of mind it needs to establish the truth and heal the victim’s sufferings”.

Yesterday, the French Catholic newspaper “La Croix” gave the news that the child sexual abuses committed by father Bernard Preynat have been declared non statute-barred by the judge in charge of the preliminary investigations. It had been the priest’s defence lawyer who had asked the magistrate to statute-bar the offence, but the magistrate refused based on the fact that these are sexual offences committed by an authoritative person on children under 15 years of age. Also to the Catholic newspaper “La Croix”, the archbishop of Lyon’s entourage had given reassurances that “any victim or any family who wished to directly meet the cardinal, his door is completely open. The archdiocese also informed that the cardinal received the families of the victims of father Preynat last Saturday and that the diocese is working to improve support to the victims, using experts who can take decisions about such complex situations”.