French priest gets 5 years for sex abuse
Print Edition
A French priest who acknowledged sexually abusing at least 75 boys over several decades was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison in France鈥檚 worst case of clergy abuse to reach trial.
The court in Lyon issued the verdict against 74-year-old Bernard Preynat behind closed doors because of the spreading novel coronavirus that has shuttered most activity in France.
Preynat鈥檚 case forced the first serious reckoning with sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in France. Preynat testified that many senior church officials were aware of his misconduct dating back to the 1960s, but he wasn鈥檛 removed from the priesthood until last year.
Victims of Preynat鈥檚 abuse, primarily boy scouts, welcomed his conviction for sexually abusing minors. Preynat was a scout leader.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really a relief,鈥 said Pierre Emmanuel Germain-Thill, who testified that Preynat鈥檚 abuse upturned his life. 鈥淪ince he鈥檚 someone of a certain age, it seems like the correct verdict to me. The victims want to turn the page.鈥
Preynat could have faced up to 10 years in prison, and the prosecution asked for at least eight.
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