Three More Altar Boys Say They Were Abused by Priests Inside Vatican Youth Seminary
DISGRACEFUL
The latest investigation into rampant sex abuse by Catholic priests is focused on the Vatican itself. On Sunday, Italian investigative program Le Iene will feature the Vatican’s St. Pius X Youth Seminary, where a number of boys were abused. The Guardian, which saw a preview of the program, reports that three new victims who were abused in the 1980s and 1990s while serving as altar boys for papal masses will come forward. In one segment, one of the victims explains who he was abused by a priest who was managing the youth seminary’s communal showers. “He wanted to undress me,” the victim alleges, according to the Guardian. “I tried to wriggle away. I was 13-years-old. I fell to the ground and asked him ‘what are you doing?’” The program was also able to find one of the alleged offenders. “No, it’s not possible,” the priest says, according to the excerpt. “I can’t remember…I’m not saying they’re lying, I’m saying they have misunderstood.” The Vatican has opened investigations into two priests tied to previous allegations against the St. Pius X Seminary.