Former Vatican altar boys have been threatened with criminal defamation charges for publicly accusing a senior seminarian of sexual misconduct when they lived together at the Vatican youth seminary.
The claims originated from an ex-student identified as “Marco”.
He says a seminarian, who is one year older than he is, would come into his dorm room at night and demand oral sex.
His roommate says he witnessed dozens of these incidents.
The alleged victim has spoken to Italian reporter Gaetano Pecoraro about the abuse.
His claims have been investigated on more than one occasion by seminary or church officials.
On each occasion, the allegations have been deemed unfounded.
However Marco, his roommate and another student say they were never interviewed about the incidents.
The accused seminarian is now a priest in Como.
Church lawyers in the diocese of Como have warned an Italian investigative news programme against broadcasting Marco’s allegations.
They have also purportedly pressed a church official to recant his suggestion of a cover-up.
A lawyer representing the seminary (the Don Folci Association) has written to at least one former student.
The letter tells the student the lawyer is preparing a criminal defamation case against him in Rome’s tribunal.
The defamation case concerns the former student’s alleged crime of divulging news to the press about the alleged acts of sexual assault in the seminary.
According to the letter dated 17 November (which was seen by The Associated Press), the lawyer instructed the ex-student to come in for questioning or face interrogation by Rome prosecutors.
The lawyer has not responded to an email seeking comment.
Apparently, none of the phone numbers listed online for his firm was functional.
The former students’ public testimony about the events have prompted the Vatican to reopen an investigation into the case because it says “new elements” have emerged.
The Vatican says it wants to “shine full light on what really happened”.
Source
- RT
- ABC News
- Image: Elira Bregu
