ROME
The Arizona Republic
Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 19, 2005 12:00 AM
A fugitive Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting three Valley boys was placed on house arrest by Italian authorities in Rome, moving him a step closer to a potential trial.
The Rev. Joseph Henn, 56, was indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury in 2003 but has refused to return to the United States to face trial. He has been living at the Salvatorian order's headquarters.
"Just this morning, I heard that Father Henn was placed on house arrest," said the Rev. John Gorman, the order's director of personnel at its U.S. headquarters in Milwaukee. "It is the position of our society that he return to the U.S." advertisement
But Gorman said the order could not force Henn to return. And Michele Gentiloni, Henn's Italian attorney, was quoted by the Catholic News Service as saying the priest was placed on house arrest Saturday because he refused to cooperate with extradition.