Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Judges are pictured in the new multifunction room at the Vatican Museums during the trial of two priests by the Vatican City State court June 7, 2021. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Vatican prosecutor requested that Father Gabriele Martinelli, who is accused of sexually abusing a younger student at the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary, be sentenced to six years in prison if convicted.

At the 11th session of the Vatican criminal trial July 15, Roberto Zanotti, the prosecutor, explained that the recommended sentence for the crimes of aggravated rape and aggravated lewd acts was reduced to exclude acts allegedly committed before Father Martinelli, then a student, turned 16 in August 2008. The abuse was said to have occurred between 2007 and 2012.

Zanotti also recommended that Msgr. Enrico Radice, the former rector of the minor seminary and Father Martinelli’s mentor, be sentenced to four years in prison for “aiding and abetting sexual violence.”

Msgr. Radice is accused of hindering the investigation into the abuse allegations. The seminary, which is operated by the Diocese of Como, and the Opera Don Folci, the religious institution that runs the minor seminary, also are accused of failing to protect the young students.

Although Father Martinelli and L.G., the victim, both were under the age of 18 when the abuse was said to have begun, the court accused the priest of continuing to abuse the younger student when Martinelli, not yet a priest, was already 20.

The court heard the testimony of two witnesses, Father Andrea Stabellini, a former judicial vicar for the Diocese of Como who was involved in the diocese’s initial investigation in 2013, and Domenico Parrella, a former student at the minor seminary, who addressed the court briefly.

Zanotti also recommended that Father Martinelli’s mentor be sentenced to four years in prison for “aiding and abetting sexual violence.”

In his testimony, Father Stabellini said that despite his recommendations, retired Bishop Diego Coletti of Como did not launch a formal investigation into the accusations and simply brought Father Stabellini with him to Rome to visit the minor seminary.

However, he was asked to remain outside when the bishop spoke with Msgr. Radice, Cardinal Angelo Comastri, former archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, and Father Angelo Magistrelli, the current rector of the St. Pius X Pre-Seminary and superior of the Opera Don Folci, Father Stabellini told the court.

After the meeting, the priest said, Bishop Coletti “told me to draft a memorandum and that everything had to be closed.”

He also said Msgr. Radice sent letters to him and Bishop Coletti requesting “that the matter be closed because it was ‘fumus persecutionis,’” a Latin phrase indicating a suspicion that a person is being persecuted.

The former judicial vicar said that shortly after drafting the memorandum, he resigned from his position. Father Stabellini also said the file of the investigation, which he reviewed with the current bishop of the diocese, Bishop Oscar Cantoni, “was very poor” and that “some acts were no longer there.”

“This case speaks of the failure of small, closed communities that are impervious to the outside world,” which fosters abuse of power.

During closing arguments, Dario Imparato, the victim’s lawyer, addressed the court for nearly an hour reconstructing the events of the alleged abuse and criticizing the investigation for focusing on the defendant’s sexual orientation.

Father Martinelli’s homosexuality is not the point, he said, but rather “the violent actions of a powerful and overbearing subject who, before satisfying his libido, wanted to satisfy his thirst for power,” which came from “an unhealthy relationship” with the former rector, Msgr. Radice.

“This case speaks of the failure of small, closed communities that are impervious to the outside world,” which fosters abuse of power, he said.

Urging the court to convict the defendants, Imparato said he hoped that Father Martinelli would not be given the chance to “boast the medal of acquittal for deeds the defense considers grave.”

“Often to try a system, you have to try an individual,” he said.

The court will hear closing arguments July 16 from lawyers representing Father Martinelli and Opera Don Folci. A verdict is expected after the court’s summer recess ends in late September.

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

The 12 women whose feet were washed by Pope Francis included women from Italy, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Ukraine, Russia, Peru, Venezuela and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
"We, the members of the Society of Jesus, continue to be lifted up in prayer, in lament, in protest at the death and destruction that continue to reign in Gaza and other territories in Israel/Palestine, spilling over into the surrounding countries of the Middle East."
The Society of JesusMarch 28, 2024
A child wounded in an I.D.F. bombardment is brought to Al Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on March 25. (AP Photo/Ismael abu dayyah)
While some children have been evacuated from conflict, more than 1.1 million children in Gaza and 3.7 million in Haiti have been left behind to face the rampaging adult world around them.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 28, 2024
Easter will not be postponed this year. It will not wait until the war is over. It is precisely now, in our darkest hour, that resurrection finds us.
Stephanie SaldañaMarch 28, 2024