ITALY
Church Militant
By Juliana Freitag
Read the first part of this series here.
Father Francesco Caramia, the name mentioned in one of Fr. Peschiulli’s conversations with his friend, was the priest in charge of the parish in the neighborhood of Bozzano, in Brindisi, and one of Abp. Talucci’s “favorites.” In December 2015, Caramia left his ministry claiming “health problems,” when in reality he was being investigated — not because of Peschiulli’s accusations against him, but because a pediatrician denounced him for sexually abusing a boy between 2007 and 2010, when the victim was only nine years old.
Last February the victim was heard and his declarations included the threats made by the 42 year-old priest: “He forced me to perform sexual acts with him. It would also happen in the sacristy. Sometimes he would push me hard and threaten me, telling me that if I spoke to anyone he would find a way to make my father lose his job and his house.” He also said Fr. Caramia promised him he could be an altar server in exchange for the acts.
Caramia is denying the charges, and is currently waiting for the conclusion of the investigation in complete liberty, being very active on social media. The archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni released a note on the case:
The Archbishop of Brindisi found out with distress about a priest in town facing charges of very serious transgressions. The accused firmly rejects the accusations and claims to be able to defend himself adequately… . Monsignor Caliandro trusts the Judiciary and awaits the results of the inquiries. If the crimes are confirmed to be true, the diocesan authority shall act with determination and the greatest regard for the victims, following the teachings of Pope Francis and his immediate predecessors.
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