VATICAN CITY
HuffPost
By Mary Papenfuss
Vatican police have arrested a priest on suspicions of possessing child pornography, according to Catholic church officials. The priest had worked as a diplomat in the United States before being recalled last year by the Holy See.
If charges against Italian Monsignor Carlo Alberto Capella go to trial, it would be the first time a Vatican City courtroom has addressed a child pornography case.
The arrest came amid investigations in both the United States and Canada, in addition to the Vatican. A 2013 Vatican law penalizes anyone who “distributes, disseminates, transmits, imports, exports, offers or sells child pornography.” If convicted, Capella could face up to 12 years in prison, according to Reuters.
Capella was being held in a cell in the gendarmerie barracks in the Vatican on Saturday, according to a statement from the Holy See press office.
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