FLORIDA
Sun Sentinel
By Kate Jacobson
Sun Sentinel
A West Palm Beach priest was arrested for obscenity after he was accused of showing child pornography to a teen boy from his parish.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies said the Rev. Jose Palimattom, who is doing a two-year residency at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in West Palm Beach, showed a 14-year-old boy child pornography on his cell phone after Mass on Sunday.
According to an arrest report, Palimattom asked the boy to help him delete files off his phone. The two met after the service and the boy found about 40 pornographic images of young boys between the ages of 10 and 18 on Palimattom’s phone.
He gave the phone back to Palimattom and immediately told a friend, who told him to tell another staff member at the church. The boy’s father called deputies after the family returned home from Mass.
According to the report, later that night, Palimattom sent the boy a Facebook message that said, “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”
Holy Name Catholic Church directed all questions to the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach County.
According to the diocese, Palimattom, a visiting priest from India, has only been at the church since December.
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