Colombian priest was captured in Italy for pedophilia at Easter

Several Italian media reported the arrest, last Good Friday, of a Colombian priest identified as Carlos Arcos Pérez, who has been accused of pedophilia by the families of two minors, who would be the victims. You are expected to be heard by the judge to define your situation.

The incident took place in the hometown of Pope Leo XIII, Carpineto Romano, a town of around 4,000 inhabitants in the province of Rome of the Sierra Lepini, where priest Arcos Pérez had arrived three years ago.

The local newspaper Il Corriere della Città assured that last Friday, the police arrived at the parish house and took the priest to prison, to place him at the disposal of the authorities, while his judicial situation was being resolved.

The arrest warrant was issued by the Velletri Prosecutor's Office, added the newspaper La Repubblica, due to a complaint by two families, who accused him last December of sexually harassing two minors. I would have contacted them outside the church.

According to the Italian media, some villagers were not surprised by the capture, because rumors had already spread throughout the city. However, opinions are divided as to what might have happened and that justice must end.

At first, according to members of the parish in the newspaper Il Messaggero, the priest helped with some masses and funerals, but he was not the main father. But since the investigations were known, he had to stay locked up at home for four months, he would not have practiced any church activities and would not have had contact with anyone. Some described him as a very quiet person who does not attract attention.

The congregations have not yet spoken, according to local newspapers, except for the bishop of the diocese of Anagni-Alatri, to which the parish of Carpineto Romano belongs, Lorenzo Loppa.

It is now expected that what will happen to the priest will be defined and that the process will continue, while his version is heard before a judge and whether he is charged with pedophilia.

Francesco Zanardi, a victim of abuse by a priest and president of the association L'Abuso in Italy, told the RFI media that Italy is one of the countries lagging behind in investigating sexual abuse and pedophilia by priests, just as the media often ignores some information due to the presence of El Vatican in that country.

The L'Abuso network, the main association of victims in Italy, with 1,300 members, has identified over the past 15 years more than 300 priests involved or convicted of the 50,000 who reside on the peninsula.

However, it is impossible to obtain “precise figures” due to the absence of “an independent report”, as happened in France, with the shocking revelations of the Jean-Marc Sauvé Commission, or in Germany, with the recent report that goes so far as to question Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for his handling of four cases of paedophile priests when he was archbishop of Munich.

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