Priest Sex-Abuse Case Hits Pope's Adviser

If it were not for the fact that countless young innocent lives have been damaged, it would almost be humorous to watch the continuing sex abuse landmines exploding all around the Catholic Church hierarchy. Especially in the wake of the latest report that exonerated gays (abuse levels decreased as gay priests increased in numbers) and left the hierarchy clinging to a "the hippies made us do it" excuse for the worldwide rape and abuse of children and youths. The truth is that the Church is systemically rotten and nothing short of a near complete house cleaning of the hierarchy - including the current occupant of the throne of St. Peter - will rid the institution of the moral bankruptcy that is part and parcel with the ranks of predator priests. The latest landmine to go off is the arrest of a priest in the diocese of Genoa Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, who is the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, and who has allegedly been working with God's Rottweiler establish a supposedly tough policy to stamp out sexual abuse by priests. Time Magazine is reporting on this new embarrassment. Here are highlights:
*
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, 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.
*
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 tapped phone conversations the two cursed and swore against God. The priest is charged with having attempted to kiss and touch an underage altar boy and of having exchanged cocaine for sexual intercourse with boys over 18.
*
Questioned by the investigators, the altar boy 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 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.
*
Obviously, the good Cardinal should have been minding his own backyard far more thoroughly if he plans on telling others how to control sexual predators within the priestly ranks.