Two Italian priests were indicted by the Vatican Court, one for sexual abuses and the other for complicity, states a Holy See press release, published in Italian on Tuesday evening, September 17, 2019. The indictment was made possible by a measure taken by Pope Francis.
The statement specifies that, with the dispositions of September 16 and 17, “the Promoter of Justice of the Vatican State Court requested the indictment of Father Gabriele Martinelli, accusing him of sexual abuses, which took place in the small Saint Pius X Seminary in the years before 2012, and Father Enrico Radice, Rector of the small Seminary at the time of the incidents, accused of complicity.”
The press release explains that it’s a measure taken by Pope Francis, which makes possible an indictment today. “The investigations were opened in November 2017, following news published by organs of the press. Although the incidents reported go back to years when the law in force at the time impeded prosecution in the absence of a complaint of the person offended, which must be presented the year following the contested events, the indictment was made possible by a special disposition of the Holy Father last July 29, which did away
