SPAIN
Reuters

Nov 24 (Reuters) – Three Spanish Catholic priests and a lay person were arrested on Monday, a police source said, in a child sexual abuse case whose victim Pope Francis has reportedly telephoned to offer the Church’s apology.

Investigations into the case in the southern province of Granada started “some time ago,” Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz told reporters, confirming four arrests, but he could not give further details because the issue is sub judice.

Granada Archbishop of Granada Francisco Javier Martinez last week removed several priests from their duties after a man wrote to Pope Francis saying he was abused when he was an altar boy.

The Argentine-born pope personally called the man in August to apologise on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church, according to the Spanish religion news website Religion Digital.

The website said the four suspects belonged to an unofficial arch-conservative group of…