As the archbishop of Lyon, Barbarin is the most senior French clergy member to be implicated in the church’s global crisis. The case has captured attention across Europe, and it inspired a film, “By the Grace of God,” which won second prize at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival last month.

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Barbarin, 68, was found guilty of failing to report allegations against the Rev. Bernard Preynat, who has confessed to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s and will be tried separately.

Preynat’s alleged victims say the church hierarchy protected him for decades after the first complaint in 1991. Church officials removed him from his role with the Boy Scouts and transferred him to a different parish, but they allowed him to remain in contact with children until his retirement in 2015.

The French statute of limitations had expired on some of the charges, so Barbarin’s conviction came as something of a surprise to those closely following the case.

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Barbarin, who had faced up to three years in prison and a fine of more than $50,000, was given a six-month suspended sentence. He said he would meet with Pope Francis to offer his resignation “in a few days.” His lawyers said he would appeal the court ruling.

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Five other defendants in the case were acquitted.

The church’s top official for sex abuse cases, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, was also named in the case, but the Vatican claimed diplomatic immunity.

The victims’ group that pushed the case celebrated Thursday’s verdict. “We see that no one is above the law,” said François Devaux, president of La Parole Libérée. “We have been heard by the court. This is the end of a long path,” he told the Associated Press.

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The Bishops’ Conference of France said it would not comment until the appeals process had been exhausted. Pope Francis earlier called Barbarin “brave.”