Francis said in February that "no abuse must ever be covered up, as has happened in the past", or be under-estimated. The pope has previously defended the cardinal, saying in 2016 that his resignation before a trial would be "an error, imprudent". The pope has previously defended the cardinal, saying in 2016 that his resignation before a trial would be "an error, imprudent". Barbarin, 68, is the most senior French cleric caught up in the global paedophilia scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church. "I cannot see what I am guilty of," Barbarin told the court at the start of the trial in January.

Source: Daily Nation March 18, 2019 05:59 UTC