Vatican officials recalled a priest from the Vatican embassy in the U.S. after officials alleged that he violated child pornography laws.
Vatican and U.S. officials announced Friday that the Department of State suspected the unidentified high ranking diplomat of possessing child pornography, according to the Associated Press. The priest is currently in Vatican City, where Vatican prosecutors are investigating the allegations in light of the State Department’s request that he be criminally charged and prosecuted.
The State Department requested Aug. 21 that the Vatican revoke the priest’s diplomatic status and notified them of “a possible violation of laws relating to child pornography images by a member of the diplomatic corps of the Holy See accredited to Washington,” according to a statement from the Vatican.
“The Promoter of Justice opened an investigation and has already commenced international collaboration to obtain elements relative to the case,” the statement added.
The priest is one of three counselors listed in the latest edition of the Pontifical Yearbook as working under the ambassador to the U.S. He is also the second member of the Vatican’s diplomatic corps facing criminal charges for crimes related to the sexual exploitation of children in the course of Pope Francis’ leadership, the first being Monsignor Jozef Wesolowski in 2013.
The State Department’s request to revoke the priest’s diplomatic status indicates that U.S. lawyers had adequate proof of the allegations to merit prosecution.
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