The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word INNOCENCE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
I
N
N
O
C
E
N
C
E
More clues leading to the result INNOCENCE
- Corrupt state? On the contrary
- Absence of sin, note, in local old churches
- Naivety of establishment at some point concealing church
- Reporter’s intuition seemingly shows inexperience
- Local church admitted to previous naivety
- 21 down cannot possibly be heard
- Purity Connie falsely showed once appearing topless
- Honesty of boozer formerly imbibing case of champagne
- Pure quality pub engineer as a one-off keeps
- That's being simple – lacking meaning in any manner, we hear
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Absence of sin" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case absence of sin = innocence.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does INNOCENCE mean?
INNOCENCE noun- Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc.
- Lack of understanding about sensitive subjects such as sexuality and crime.
- Lack of ability or intention to harm or damage.
- Imbecility; mental deficiency.