Thursday, May 26, 2011

Pope’s pedophilia advisor arrested

I was going to write that this story was unbelievable, but no, it’s believable. The Pope’s adviser on reforms related to pedophile priests, Cardinal Riccardo Seppia, has been arrested on pedophilia and drug related charges.

Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51-year-old parish priest in the village of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, was arrested last Friday, May 13, on pedophilia and drug 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 O.K. Look for needy boys who have family issues," he allegedly said. Genoa Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, who is the 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 more: Priest Sex-Abuse Case Hits Church of Pope's Adviser

I’m speechless.