By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -A Vatican court on Wednesday cleared two priests charged in connection with alleged sexual abuse in a youth seminary in the Vatican between 2006 and 2012.
Father Gabriele Martinelli, now 29, was accused of having forced a person identified only as L.G. to have sex, while they were altar boys and mostly when they were both minors. L.G. is seven months younger than Martinelli.
The court concluded that there had been sexual activity between the two boys but there was not enough proof that L.G. was forced, a statement said.
Martinelli, for whom the prosecution had sought a six-year custodial sentence, later went on to become a priest.
The court statement said there were “significant contradictions” in L.G.’s testimony.
The trial, which began a year ago, was the first in the Vatican concerning sexual abuse that allegedly occurred on Vatican territory.
The prosecution had sought a four-year sentence for Father Enrico Radice, 72, who was rector at the time, and was charged with having covered up the alleged abuse.
Both Martinelli and Radice had consistently denied wrongdoing and accused L.G. of mounting a personal vendetta against them.
The alleged abuse took place in the Pius X Pre-Seminary, which houses altar boys between 12 and 18 years old who serve Mass in St. Peter’s, including for the pope, and are thinking of becoming priests.
The court ruled that Martinelli was “not punishable” for accusations related to alleged events when he was a minor and said there was insufficient proof to convict him of abuse after that.
A separate charge against Martinelli on charges of corrupting a minor was extinguished by the statue of limitations.
Last May, Pope Francis ordered that the Pre-Seminary be closed and moved to new premises outside the Vatican.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by John Stonestreet)
