CROATIA
West
by Nicola Dotto – 02.27.2014
An ecclesiastical court in Croatia has, for the first time, passed a guilty verdict on a priest accused of sexually abusing children. After years of investigation and hearing the direct testimonies of the victims, Don Nedjeljko Ivanov, of the diocese of Zara, was convicted of paedophilia dating back to the 1980s and ’90s. The sentence means he will lose his position in the Church and he will be forced to leave the parish. However, the fact that the crime took place more than 15 years ago means the priest will avoid being prosecuted by the civil justice system. However, this is a landmark first in the centuries-long history of the church in Zagreb.
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