A former papal diplomat goes on trial for child pornography charges. The priest from Milan is said to have committed the acts he is accused of while still a minister of the Holy See.
Following the conclusion of the investigation, Vatican justice formally brought charges against the 50-year-old priest, the Holy See press office said Saturday. The trial is expected to begin on 22 December. June fixed. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
Possession and distribution of child pornography
Vatican prosecutors accuse man of possession and distribution of child pornography. The facts are complicated by the volume of the material, he said. The trial of the northern Italian is being held in the Vatican City State because he committed the acts he is accused of as an official of the Holy See, according to the statement. There is also a warrant for the clergyman's arrest in Canada.
The accused, according to Vatican sources, is Carlo Alberto Capella, a priest of the Archdiocese of Milan and nunciature councilor at the Holy See's embassy in the U.S. since 2016. Following tips from the U.S. State Department in late August 2017, the Vatican recalled the employee; he subsequently stayed in Vatican City State. Capella was remanded in custody in April.
Material downloaded via church computer
The Canadian judiciary had already ied an arrest warrant for him at the end of September 2017. Investigators in Ontario state accused him of downloading and redistributing child pornography material via a church computer during a Christmas 2016 stay in Windsor, Canada.
The Canadian diocese of London confirmed a corresponding suspicion at the time.