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Priests charged in Granada sex abuse case

The Local Spain
The Local Spain - [email protected]
Priests charged in Granada sex abuse case

A judge in Granada has charged ten Roman Catholic priests and two lay people with sex abuse in a case that came to light after a former altar boy petitioned the Pope.

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Twelve people are accused of being involved in a paedophile ring in the southern Spanish city, abusing four teenage boys during a three-year period beginning in 2004.

Judge Antonio Moreno Marín charged the 12 defendants and lifted a secrecy order on the case on Wednesday.

A written summary of the investigation further detailed the catalogue of abuse suffered by the victims, who served as church altar boys.

It detailed how the clerics allegedly targeted their victims, brainwashed them in group sessions and took them to a house and luxury apartments to be abused.

The case came to light when one of the victims, who is now 24 and working as a teacher, wrote a letter to Pope Francis informing him of the alleged abuse.

The Pope personally telephoned the victim and ordered an internal investigation into the allegations.

Pope Francis has pledged zero tolerance in the face of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. Last July, the Pope begged forgiveness from the victims and condemned the Church for hiding the "serious crimes" committed by clerics.  

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