NORWAY
The Local
A German priest on trial in Norway for having sex with a 15-year-old girl claimed he did so because he did not know the country’s legal age of consent was higher than Germany’s.
“She was the love of my life,” the priest, who is in his early 30s, told the court on Tuesday. He added he “did not know the age of consent was 16 years old in Norway. In my home country of Germany it is 14.”
“If I had been familiar with Norwegian law in this field, it would not have happened,” he said. “When we started the relationship, I knew I broke the laws of the Church. I was not aware that I was also breaking Norwegian law.”
The relationship only came to light when the girl made a church confession she thought was confidential. Yet the church’s pastor claims confidentiality did not apply, as the teenager was not a confirmed Catholic.
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