French bishop convicted for failing to tell police of paedophile priest

A French bishop was given a suspended jail sentence yesterday for covering up the paedophile activities of one of his parish priests – the first time a senior French clergyman has been convicted of a crime since the Revolution.

Monsignor Pierre Pican, the Bishop of Bayeux, was tried in June for failing to tell the police authorities that one of his priests had admitted sexually abusing boys in his care. The prosecution was the first of its kind in France and forced the French Catholic Church to revise publicly its advice to prelates on how to deal with paedophile priests.

The court in Caen, Normandy, gave the bishop a three-month suspended sentence – less than the public prosecutor had requested. But the conviction, which was "regretted" by a French Church spokesman, creates a legal precedent that may force the Church to reconsider the relationship between a bishop and his priests.

Abbé René Bissey admitted to the bishop that he had sexually abused boys but Mgr Pican took no action, except to move him to another parish. The admission was made outside the confessional but the bishop told the court that he believed that it was covered by the secrecy of his "professional" relationship with the priest.

Abbé Bissey was later convicted of sexual assaults on minors but none of these acts took place after the priest's admission to his bishop. Jean Chevais, a lawyer for the families of some of the victims, said the conviction of the bishop was a "turning point. I hope this will cause the Church to examine its conscience and no longer cover up these kinds of crimes," he said.

The bishop's lawyer, Thierry Massis, said he was surprised by the verdict since "no child suffered from the bishop's silence. It's an extremely important decision because, as far as I know, it's the first time that a bishop has been convicted in France since the Revolution." The lawyer said Mgr Pican would consider an appeal.

The bishop – and the Church – argued in court that under canon law, a bishop's relationship with a parish priest was privileged and covered by professional secrecy. The Church did, however, issue a circular before the trial advising prelates that every effort should be made to persuade paedophile priests to confess to the legal authorities.