An Italian bishop testified on Thursday in the trial of a priest accused of molesting boys that he heard rumours of abuse two years before the priest was arrested but didn’t find them credible enough to warrant removing him or informing the Vatican. Monsignor Gino Reali’s testimony marked the first time an Italian bishop has been called to take the stand in a trial of an Italian priest accused of abusing youngsters, said attorney Nino Marazzita, who is representing two of the seven alleged victims in the civil portion of the case.
The trial of the Reverend Ruggero Conti comes as the clerical abuse scandal swirls around the Holy See and exposes the depth of the abuse problem in Italy.
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Kyrgyz rulers embroiled in fund scandal
Bishkek : Secret recordings released on Friday implicated Kyrgyzstan’s interim rulers in a fraud scandal as the new government struggles to impose its authority over the unruly ex-Soviet state.
In the covertly taped recordings posted on Youtube, the country’s acting prosecutor-general and finance minister discuss how to “secretly” divert one million dollars from the Kyrgyz central bank.
“If we ask the central bank to give us a million dollars, they’ll faint,” interim finance minister Temir Sariyev is heard saying. “They’ve said the money had to go through the treasury. But then the million dollars will be registered, that won’t do,” Temir Sariyev further added.
—AFP