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An Italian archdiocese is embroiled
in scandal as reports are surfacing of a gay priest on trial for
allegations of blackmail, embezzlement and other crimes.
Fr.
Luca Morini
Father Luca Morini, known to his flock as "Don Euro" for his extravagant
lifestyle, has recently been scheduled for
a hearing in the Court of Massa, the medieval town in Tuscany where
he used to run two parishes. The preliminary hearing is set to take
place on March
8, where the judge will examine the evidence for accusations of
fraud, drug distribution, embezzlement, extortion and
self-laundering.
The case began when male escort,
Francesco Mangiacapra, decided to go public about
services he had been rendering to Fr. Morini, who falsely presented
himself as a judge. When the escort found out that his prodigal client
was a simple parish priest, he decided to inquire about the financial
source for all the lavish dinners and expensive gifts. Mangiacapra
suspected the money came from the faithful and decided to report Fr.
Morini to the diocese of Massa Carrara-Pontremoli.
Escort Francesco
Mangiacapra
But the diocese only acted once it found out that national
broadcast show Le Iene was
after the priest, so the bishop suspended him from his activities
"due to sickness" and then transferred him to a €200,000.00 house,
bought especially for
him (monthly utility bills and maid included). These were allegedly
obtained from the bishop of Massa Carrara-Pontremoli, Giovanni Santucci,
through blackmail,
as Morini had "threatened to expose to the public eye unpleasant facts
about many diocesan priests." Bishop Santucci also gave Don
Euro €4,500,00 from his own personal bank account, as well as
€1,000.00 from diocesan funds.
The bishop is also currently under investigation.
The episode aired
by Le Iene shows
footage of Fr. Morini snorting cocaine and parading in the company of
several male escorts, as well as interviews with many of the
parishioners, who testify that the priest was constantly pestering
them for money, even during confessions.
One of the priests interviewed
by Le Iene declared
that Morini "arrived to the point of blasphemy: He would choose a member
of the faithful and tell them he had seen Padre Pio in the Host, and
that Padre Pio had mentioned that person by name. ... He would then
request thousands of euros from that person, promising that the
offer guaranteed Padre Pio's protection."
Another diocesan priest wrote an
anonymous letter to the show's staff: "It hurts me to say that Fr.
Morini has behaved this way for approximately 20 years, stealing and
deceiving the elderly and those most in need, all seemingly under the
protection of the powerful."
Fr.
Morini has behaved this way for approximately 20 years, stealing and
deceiving the elderly and those most in need, all seemingly under the
protection of the powerful.Tweet
When the investigation was concluded last
June, the police managed to trace to Fr. Morini €700,000 in cash
and €150,000 in diamond investments. He was known in the best
restaurants, resorts and five-star hotels in Rome and in Tuscany, and
would always provide the drugs.
"The cocaine was always Morini's,"
said Mangiacapra. "I'm an escort, I'm not a drug dealer."
Last week Mangiacapra handed a
1,200-page dossier to
the archdiocese of Naples with documents (including sexually explicit
pictures) that prove the escort's involvement with 60 priests from all
over Italy. Explaining his motivations to newspaper Corriere
della Sera, Mangiacapra said, "The
goal isn't to hurt the people I've mentioned [in the dossier], but to
help them understand that their double life ... isn't useful to
them or to the people who rely on them for guidance."
He continued, "Their behavior is, in
many cases, a result of the impunity that the high hierarchy of the
Church has made habitual: that unjust tolerance that feeds the idea that
it is possible to separate that which is lived from that which is
professed, as typical of those who have a schizophrenic, double
morality."
Mangiacapra received an
anonymous death
threat in early January. The letter made references to
his bookIl numero uno: confessioni di un
marchettaro,("Number One: Confessions of a Male Escort"), where
he mentions many of his adventures with Italian priests (no names were
disclosed in the book).
"I am worried because the letter
arrived at my home address, which is not public," the
escort said.
"I am reporting it to the police, because if others letters were to
arrive, we can take action."
The initial letter indicates more
notes may be forthcoming: "Your popularity makes you very traceable, as
you can see now, and will see again in the future."
Allegations
about 40 gay priests in Italy sent to Vatican
VATICAN
CITY (AP) — The archdiocese of Naples says it
has sent the Vatican a 1,200-page dossier
compiled by a male escort identifying 40
actively gay priests and seminarians in Italy.
In
a statement on the diocesan website, Cardinal
Cresenzio Sepe said none of the identified
priests worked in Naples. But he said he
decided to forward the file to the Vatican
because "there remains the gravity of the
cases for which those who have erred must pay
the price, and be helped to repent for the
harm done."
The
dossier, containing WhatsApp chats and other
evidence, was compiled by a self-proclaimed
gay escort, Francesco Mangiacapra. He has told
Italian media that he outed the priests
because he couldn't stand their hypocrisy any
longer.
None
of the 34 priests or six seminarians was
accused of having sex with minors, Mangiacapra
was quoted as saying in the diocesan
statement.
"We're
talking about sins, not crimes," the escort
was quoted as saying in the statement.
It's
the latest sex scandal to convulse the Italian
church and the Vatican.
Last
month, a Vatican judge pleaded guilty in a
Rome tribunal to having child porn on his
computer after police were brought in when he
allegedly tried to fondle an 18-year-old man.
Monsignor Pietro Amenta was a judge on the
Roman Rota, the Holy See tribunal that hears
marriage annulment cases, as well as a
consulter to various Vatican congregations. He
resigned after the plea deal, the Vatican
said.
This
current Marxist pope has made me
rethink my allegiance to the Catholic
Church. Martin Luther's acts way back
make so much more sense to me now. Way
to go Jesuits! You built this morally
reprehensible institution, own it!
kevin67
22
hours ago
"Do
not confuse the humanity of The Church
with The Divinity of The Church."
gojump
yesterday
Look
on the bright side. At least they're
not pedophiles like most of the
catholic clergy