Priest Prosecuted for Sending Sex Text to Boy

The Local
December 28, 2013

http://www.thelocal.se/20131228/priest-prosecuted-for-sex-text-to-boy

The priest, who was based in Kalmar county, has admitted that he sent the sex text and that it was wrong but has denied the charge of sexual molestation.

"I hope that we end up in bed and have sex. As I am gay and you are young and good looking," the priest wrote in the text which was sent in September.

Following the incident the priest has since been relieved of his duties entirely within the priesthood by the church.

The priest and the boy had got to know each other at a confirmation camp and remained in contact afterwards. At first the contact was friendly but relations came to an abrupt end when the boy received a text from the priest saying he wanted to have sex.

He showed the text to his parents who contacted the local parish as well as the police.

"We are very sorry and upset that this has happened. The church must be a safe place with safe activities especially for children and young people. These things shouldn't happen but now it has happened with us and we have to make it clear that we're not sweeping it under the carpet," said the rector at the parish to local newspaper Barometern.

The rector added that the church had been in contact with the boy's family and that a decision to remove the priest altogether from the church was taken at a meeting in November.

"What happened of course is completely inappropriate, this isn't acceptable in any way," said the rector.

Meanwhile, the priest has apologized for his actions but is unwilling to pay the boy damages as he is denying the charge of sexual molestation. The boy is seeking 7,000 kronor ($1000) in damages following the incident.

"I didn't mean anything by what I wrote. It was completely wrong. A fantasy just popped into my head. I should have realized that it was wrong," he was quoted as saying in the Barometern newspaper.