(GENOA) - The latest sex abuse case to rock the Catholic Church
is unfolding in the archdiocese of an influential Italian Cardinal,
who has been working with Pope Benedict XVI on reforms to respond
to prior scandals of pedophile priests.
Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51 year-old parish priest in the village
of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, was arrested last Friday on
pedophilia and drugs charges. Investigators say that in tapped
mobile phone conversations Seppia asked a Moroccan drug dealer to
arrange sexual encounters with young and vulnerable boys. "I do not
want 16-year-old boys, but younger. Fourteen-year-olds are OK. Look
for needy boys, who have family issues," he allegedly said. Genoa
Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, who is also head of the Italian Bishops
Conference, had been working with Benedict to establish a tough new
worldwide policy released this week on how bishops should handle
accusations of priestly sex abuse. (Read "Vatican Gets Tough on
Child Abuse, but Not Tough Enough.)
Bagnasco said when he met the Pope this weekend he "asked for a
particular blessing for my archdiocese," in light of the accused
crimes, adding that "like every father toward a son (feels) great
pain in seeing a priest who is not faithful to his vocation."
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi praised Bagnasco's
handling of the Sastri Ponente case, lauding its "timeliness and
competence." On Saturday, the Cardinal also visited the Santo
Spirito Church where Seppia was the parish priest.
According to investigators, Seppia told a friend -- a former
seminarian and barman who is currently under investigation -- that
the town's malls were the best places to entice minors. In the
tapped phone conversations they cursed and swore against God. The
priest is charged with having attempted to kiss and touch an
under-age altar boy, and of having exchanged cocaine for sexual
intercourse with boys who were over 18. (See inside Benedict XVI's
daily life.)
Seppia's defense lawyers are expected to argue that those
conversations - monitored since Oct. 20, 2010 - were just words,
sex games that were played by adults. It was just a game even when
he claimed to have "kissed on the mouth" a 15-year-old altar boy,
according to the defense.
On Monday, during the formal questioning by Genoa's Investigating
Magistrate Annalisa Giacalone, Seppia chose not to respond. The
magistrate decided to keep him in custody to avoid a risk of
relapse or tampering with evidence. Defense attorney Paolo Bonanni
said that they want to evaluate all the charges, reserving the
right to respond to the Public Prosecutor Stefano Puppo in the
coming days.
Questioned by the investigators, the altar boy has reportedly
confirmed the attempted kiss. Another male minor who, according to
the investigators, was stalked with messages and pressing
invitations, will be questioned soon. Psychologists are helping the
Carabinieri police officers obtain testimony from the alleged
victims. "The boys are ashamed to talk and to admit what happened,"
says one of the investigators. The evidence amounts to at least 50
messages and phone calls. In the tapped phone conversations, the
drug dealer contacted the boys and gave their phone numbers to the
priest, who paid them with cocaine or 50 euros each time for sexual
intercourse. (Read "Controversial Study Links Catholic Abuse to
'60s Culture and Church Hierarchy, but Offers Few
Solutions.")
"[The investigators] made us listen to that man saying terrifying
things about our children. Things so terrible that I cannot repeat
them," a father of one of the boys said.
Investigators are also examining three confiscated computers. The
priest allegedly looked for partners via chat as well.
Seppia is currently being kept in a confinement cell, in a Genoa
prison. He met the jail's priest and psychologist. "He has read the
newspapers, and he is pained by his parishioners' comments," said
his lawyer. The investigation is ongoing.