Editor’s note: Readers may find the details of the sexual activity described in this article distressing.
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — In a groundbreaking ruling, a Vatican court has convicted a priest over sexual abuse committed in a Vatican City pre-seminary.
The case has been marked by whistleblowers and alleged high-level coverups for years.
Providing details of the January 23 ruling, Vatican News reported that Father Gabriele Martinelli was found guilty of “the crime of corruption of a minor” for events dating between August 9, 2008 and March 19, 2009.
Martinelli’s crimes took place at the St. Pius X pre-seminary, the home for Vatican altar boys who are discerning the priesthood. At the time it was based in the Vatican City State, very close to Casa Santa Marta, where the current Pope now resides. The former rector of the pre-seminary, Father Enrico Radice, was charged with “aiding and abetting” but acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Martinelli, now 31, was sentenced to a jail term of two and a half years and a €1,000 fine, but it appears that his clerical status remains unhindered.
The charges against Martinelli were brought by a former fellow pupil at the pre-seminary, known publicly only as L.G. He accused Martinelli of forcing him to have sexual relations.
The case dates back several years, and became a key example of alleged cover-up within the Vatican of sexual activity. While not attracting great interest in the English speaking media, it has been well documented in Italy. It was a subject of particular concern raised by former Nuncio and Secretariat of State official Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.
READ: New Viganò testimony: Vatican covered up allegations of sexual abuse of Pope’s altar boys
Viganò stated in 2019 that a roommate of L.G., named Kamil Jarzembowski, said that he witnessed “dozens of incidents of sexual aggression.” Viganò’s testimony was supported by considerable coverage in the Italian media dating from 2017.
Jarzembowski, who states he himself is homosexual, said in 2017 that he had witnessed the abuse and that it was performed by a seminarian who “had a position of power. He enjoyed the rector’s utmost trust. He chose what I or my partner was doing.”
The victim, dubbed “Marco” by the media, confirmed Jarzembowski’s account. He said the abuse started when he was 13 and that “it became normal. It even happened one time behind the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica. The fear petrifies you. In the end you accept everything, but you feel guilty.”
As LifeSiteNews has reported, the issue was further complicated by the fact that both Jarzembowski and “Marco” are reported to have been homosexuals, with Jarzembowski stating in an interview that “Marco” was carrying on what appeared to be a consensual sexual affair with another boy, a practice he says was common among the pre-seminarians.
According to Viganò, Jarzembowski “denounced the aggressor [Martinelli], first in person to his pre-seminary superiors, then in writing to cardinals, and finally in 2014, again in writing to Pope Francis himself.”
With the pre-seminary being under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Como, the diocesan judicial vicar – Don Andrea Stabellini – conducted an investigation and found evidence that “warranted further investigation.”
Viganò testified in 2019 that Stabellini personally told him that his investigation was then prohibited by his superiors:
After evidence was collected by Don Stabellini, the case was immediately covered up by the then-bishop of Como, Diego Coletti, together with Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Vicar General of Pope Francis for Vatican City. In addition, Cardinal Coccopalmerio, then president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, who was consulted by Don Stabellini, strongly admonished him to stop the investigation.
“The pope and many prelates in the Curia are well aware of these allegations, but in neither case was an open and thorough investigation permitted,” stated the former nuncio.
Stabellini himself confirmed to media that he wished to have Fr. Radice removed because of his knowledge of, and inaction over, the abuse, but the case had been “buried” by both Comastri and Coccopalmerio, the latter rumoured to have been involved in acts of corruption.
The two cardinals denied the allegations made against them, with Comastri strongly protesting in 2017 that “not only did I not cover up anything but I ordered three investigations, recommending the utmost rigor in carrying them out.”
In the meantime, Martinelli was ordained in 2017 whereas Jarzembowski and the victim were removed from the seminary.
As noise about the case showed no sign of quieting and in the wake of the July 2019 publication of Viganò’s testimony alleging papal inaction and high-ranking coverup, the Vatican announced in September 2019 that it was seeking a trial for both Martinelli and Radice, the latter being charged with “aiding and abetting.”
The Vatican stated that its investigation into the matter dated back to 2017, but that Pope Francis had lifted the statute of limitations only in July 2019, shortly after Viganò accused him of covering up the case.
Due to the controversy, Francis in May 2021 moved the location of the pre-seminary outside the walls of the Vatican City.
Martinelli was acquitted in late 2021, but the case proceeded to the Vatican’s Court of Appeals when both the Vatican’s promoter of Justice and L.G.’s civil lawyer appealed the ruling. It is from this court that this week’s verdict was handed down.
READ: Catholic seminary brought ‘sexologist’ who promoted transgenderism, masturbation to seminarians