Aussie Catholic Priest Faces Pedophilia Charges

Hong King Standard
April 22, 2013

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=35111&icid=4&d_str=

Australian police have arrested a Roman Catholic priest on pedophilia charges, following months of negotiations to have him returned from the Vatican.

A police statement said the 67-year-old priest presented himself at Victoria state police headquarters in Melbourne on Monday. His name has not been made public, AP reports.

The priest was charged with 10 counts of child abuse allegedly committed in Melbourne's outskirts between 1976 and 1985. He was released on bail and will appear before a magistrate on Friday.

Police said they had been negotiating with the Catholic Church since July 2012 to have him returned to Australia.

The priest is the latest person to be charged in Victoria after state police set up a specialist taskforce in November last year to deal with allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy.

An increasing number of victims have become forward due to the state's current parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse by religious and other organizations.