Fugitive English Benedictine ex-abbot arrested in Kosovo
May 16, 2016
The former head of a Benedictine abbey in England, who has been a fugitive from the law since 2011, has been arrested in Kosovo.
Father Laurence Soper, the former abbot of London's Ealing Abbey, was arrested in 2010 on sex-abuse charges. After being released on bail he fled in 2011, and his whereabouts were unknown-- although he turned up in Rome late in 2011 to withdraw funds from an account he held at the Institute for Religious Works, the Vatican bank.
Police in Pec, Kosovo, reported that Father Soper was arrested last week on a European warrant. Efforts are now underway to have him extradited to Britain to face trial.
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Further information:
- Fugitive former abbot wanted over abuse allegations arrested in Kosovo (Catholic Herald)
- Monk wanted by police visited Vatican bank to withdraw funds (CWN, 11/28/11)
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