Italian sex abuse priest hangs himself in church
AFP - [email protected]
Published: 29 Oct, 2014 CET.
Updated: Wed 29 Oct 2014 11:49 CET
An Italian priest who admitted to sexually abusing a young teenage girl hanged himself in the sacristy - the cleric's changing room in his church - the diocese of Santa Croce in northern Italy said on Wednesday.
The priest, 48, who belonged to the Slovenian community in Trieste, had been accused of committing "grave acts" years earlier with a then 13-year-old girl.
He confessed to his bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi that the reports were true and asked for two days to prepare a letter asking for the forgiveness of God, the Catholic Church and the victim.
But when Crepaldi arrived on Tuesday afternoon to officially strip him of his priestly duties and inform him an enquiry would be launched into his actions, he found the priest hanging in the sacristy.
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The priest, 48, who belonged to the Slovenian community in Trieste, had been accused of committing "grave acts" years earlier with a then 13-year-old girl.
He confessed to his bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi that the reports were true and asked for two days to prepare a letter asking for the forgiveness of God, the Catholic Church and the victim.
But when Crepaldi arrived on Tuesday afternoon to officially strip him of his priestly duties and inform him an enquiry would be launched into his actions, he found the priest hanging in the sacristy.
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