Police in southern Italy have arrested a priest accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy over several years.
Authorities confirmed on Monday, July 28, that officers apprehended the priest from a parish in Cosenza, Calabria.
They withheld the suspect’s name and age but revealed that the arrest followed a “complex investigation.”
According to police, the abuse began in 2015 and continued until 2020, even after the victim had turned 18.
The priest allegedly took advantage of the boy’s troubled family situation to manipulate and exploit him.
The officer’s report described how the priest first gained the boy’s trust with praise and attention.
Later, the relationship turned abusive.
He reportedly carried out acts of sexual violence in private corners of the church building.
Investigators said the priest exploited his religious authority to control the victim.
He convinced the boy that their bond was spiritual, calling himself his “spiritual father.” Shockingly, after some of the alleged abuse, the priest would bless the boy, police added.
This case comes just months after police arrested another priest, aged 48, in northern Italy for allegedly abusing children aged 10 to 12.
Cases like these remain difficult to track in Italy. The country, though predominantly Catholic, has yet to launch a nationwide investigation into clerical sexual abuse. This contrasts with countries like France, Germany, and the United States, where major national inquiries have exposed widespread abuse.
Although the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) released a brief two-year report in 2022, victim advocacy groups widely criticized it as inadequate.
In January, the diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone in South Tyrol released Italy’s first independent abuse study. That report identified at least 60 cases of priest-led abuse dating back to 1964.
Authorities say investigations into both current and historical abuse cases remain ongoing.