Italy: Paedophile Catholic Priest Hangs Himself in Trieste Church

ITALY
International Business Times

By Umberto Bacchi
October 29, 2014

A Catholic priest killed himself in the vicarage of his north-eastern Italian church, minutes before he was to discuss with his boss accusations of child abuse made against him, church officials said.

Maks Suard, 48, the vicar of Santa Croce in the port town of Trieste off the Slovenian border, was found to have hanged himself by the local Archbishop, Giampaolo Crepaldi.

Suard was under police investigation for the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl.

The diocese of Trieste said that days before committing suicide, the clergyman had admitted to the accusations during a phone confrontation with Crepaldi, and was about to be suspended from his pastoral office.

Suard asked the Archbishop for a few days before informing the Holy See, setting in motion criminal and canonical procedures.

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