Vatican investigating Italian diocese troubled by clerical misconduct
October 24, 2014
The Vatican has opened an investigation of a scandal-plagued diocese in Italy, the daily Il Messaggero reports.
The Diocese of Albenga-Imperia, on the Mediterranean coast near the French border, has been the subject of several clerical scandals. Priests have been accused of sexual abuse, theft of parish funds, homosexual affairs, posting nude self-portraits, and taking part-time jobs to supplement their income.
Bishop Mario Oliveri, who has led the diocese since 1990, has been praised for his defense of orthodoxy and his success in attracting men to the priesthood. But critics argue that the large number of young priests and seminarians reflects the willingness of the diocese to overlook problems of character.
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Posted by: jg23753479 -
Oct. 26, 2014 6:43 PM ET USA
Except for the part-time jobs, this sounds like any one of dozens of US dioceses in recent decades. Very few if any of the US "playboy" dioceses, though, ever caught the eye of the Vatican.
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Posted by: Minnesota Mary -
Oct. 24, 2014 10:21 PM ET USA
What took the Vatican so long?
