Vatican diplomat recalled amid child porn investigation
Source: Associated Press via Washington Post
By Nicole Winfield and Matthew Lee?|?AP September 15 at 11:31 AM
VATICAN CITY — A high-ranking priest working in the Vatican’s embassy in Washington has been recalled after U.S. prosecutors asked for him to be charged there and face trial in a child pornography investigation, Vatican and U.S. officials said Friday.
The diplomat was suspected of possessing, but not producing or disseminating, child pornography including images of pre-pubescent children, a U.S. source familiar with the case said. The source was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Vatican declined to identify the priest, but said he was currently in Vatican City and that Vatican prosecutors had launched their own probe and sought evidence from the U.S.
If the accusations pan out, the case would be a major embarrassment for the Vatican and Pope Francis, who has pledged “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse. The diplomat would be the second from the Vatican’s diplomatic corps to face possible criminal charges for such crimes during Francis’ papacy. And any trial in the Vatican would come as Francis’ own financial czar, Cardinal George Pell, is on trial in his native Australia for alleged historic sex abuse cases.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/vatican-diplomat-recalled-amid-child-porn-investigation/2017/09/15/9d6ea646-9a0b-11e7-af6a-6555caaeb8dc_story.html
Hat tip, DCist.com:
Vatican Priest Recalled From Washington Amid Child Porn Investigation
http://dcist.com/2017/09/vatican_priest_recalled_from_washin.php
BY CHRISTINA STURDIVANT IN NEWS ON SEP 15, 2017 12:27 PM
The Vatican has recalled a priest who was working in a Washington embassy after federal officials say he may have violated child pornography laws.
He’s currently in Vatican City where an investigation is underway, the Vatican said in a statement.
The U.S. State Department notified the Vatican on August 21 of a “possible violation of laws relating to child pornography images” by a diplomat from the Holy See, according to the statement.
State Department officials say they asked the Vatican to lift his diplomatic immunity, but the request was denied, The Washington Post reports. A federal source familiar with the case told The Post that the priest is suspected of possessing, but not producing or releasing the images.
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