In the process of covering up allegations of abuse, the French prosecutor has demanded an acquittal of Lyons archbishop Philippe Barbarin. "Some of the facts are time-barred, and for those who are not barred, no criminal states were found," said the prosecutor, according to the broadcaster France Info.
Cardinal Barbarin and five other priests are accused of having failed to prosecute allegations of abuse against a priest - this is said to have become rampant in the 1980s against dozens of children. The investigation against Barbarin had already been discontinued in 2016.
Deputy Prosecutor Charlotte Trabut argued that the archbishop could not be shown to have deliberately concealed the alleged abuse of young Boy Scouts by Pastor Bernard Preynat. Even failed assistance could not be blamed on him.
"I've never tried to hide these terrible deeds, let alone cover them up," Barbarin had said at the trial kickoff on Monday. During the procedure, victims of abuse had testified.
Barbarin was long considered to be a kind of shooting star of the Catholic Church in France, according to observers. In 2002, at the age of only 51, he became archbishop of Lyon, the highest Catholic dignitary in the country.