A Catholic Priest, who at one time served as a Vatican diplomat in Washington, has been indicted by the Holy See on accusations of possessing and sharing "a large quantity" of child abuse imagery.
In an article posted by Reuters, the Vatican said Monsignor Carlo Capella would face a trial starting on June 22. He is presently being held in a cell in the Vatican's police barracks.
Authorities in the United States and Canada had been investigating Capella for nearly two years.
Canadian police charged that the Priest allegedly uploaded material featuring sexual abuse of children from a social networking site over the 2016 Christmas holiday.
In August, the US State Department notified the Vatican of a "possible violation of laws related to child pornography images," by one of its diplomats. Soon after, the Vatican recalled Capella, who as a diplomat was one of four staff members who had immunity from prosecution in the United States.
The Vatican has denied that there have been efforts to have Monsignorn Cappella prosecuted in an American court.
Monsignor Cappella The 50-year-old has had a wide-ranging career that brought him to the United States only this past year. Born in the town of Carpi in Northern Italy, he was ordained as a Priest in 1993, pursued a degree in Canon Law and then entered the Vatican's corps of diplomats in 2004. In that role, he was posted in India and then Hong Kong before another stint at the Vatican.
In 2008, according to a document from the Archdiocese of Milan, Pope Benedict XVI conferred the rank of "Chaplain of His Holiness" upon him - a recognition of service to the Church that bestowed on him the title of Monsignor.
He could face consequences in two disciplinary systems: Under Church law, he could be laicized and under civil law in the Holy See, which is also an independent nation, he could face criminal penalties.
The City-state's criminal law says people convicted of possessing material showing child sex abuse face up to two years in prison and $12,000 in fines, and those convicted of producing or distributing the images face steeper penalties.
The arrest is another blow for the church, which has faced abuse scandals threatening to undermine the faithful’s confidence in the Clergy.
In an unprecedented decision, Pope Francis recently announced his acceptance of the resignation of three Bishops in Chile who were accused of concealing their knowledge of the sexual abuse of minors within the boundaries of their pastoral competence and authority.
The deep wound to the Body of Christ caused by these scandals continues to fester.
May the Holy Spirit guide the Church in bringing the perpetrators of these grave crimes against minors to justice and may the same Spirit give assurance and comfort to those harmed and to the countless numbers of Catholic faithful who have been scandalized by these reports.
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