Holy See’s
prosecutor general says two cases involving indecent material came to light
last year, along with other crimes
Only six people were held in the Vatican's prison last year. Photograph: Getty Images |
Two cases of child pornography possession were uncovered within the walls of the Vatican last year, along with numerous other crimes in the city state, the Holy See’s prosecutor general has announced.
Following
worldwide allegations of sex abuse by priests, Gian Piero Milano, the Holy
See’s Promoter of Justice, said the Vatican was now taking action against
paedophilia in the heart of the Catholic church.
Unveiling
the Vatican’s justice report, Milano stopped short of naming those accused of
possessing child pornography. Holy See spokesman Federico Lombardi however
identified Josef Wesolowski, a disgraced former ambassador, as one of the people
facing charges.
Wesolowski
was stripped of his diplomatic immunity last year following accusations that he
abused young boys during his time as envoy to the Dominican Republic. The
Polish former archbishop is currently awaiting trial at the Vatican, in what
will be the first sex abuse trial ever held at the Holy See.
Beyond the
child pornography cases, Vatican authorities are battling an array of crimes
including drug trafficking and money laundering. Three drug deliveries
addressed to the Vatican were intercepted last year, including a packet containing cocaine-filled condoms. The drugs were discovered at Germany’s
Leipzig airport and handed to the Vatican in the hope of ensnaring the buyer,
but no one came forward to claim the package.
Despite the
array of criminal activity, only six people ended up in the Vatican’s prison
last year. They include Marcello di Finizio, an Italian protester who climbed
atop St Peter’s Basilica, and Iana Azhdanova, a Femen activist who bared her
breasts and grabbed a baby Jesus statue from the Vatican’s nativity scene.
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