A FORMER Vatican diplomat has been jailed for five years and fined €5,000 after being found guilty of child pornography offences.
Monsignor Carlo Alberto Capella was sentenced at a Vatican tribunal on Saturday after a two-day trial.
The court heard how dozens of pornographic images of children were found on the 50-year-old priest’s mobile phone.
Msgr Capella admitted to viewing the images during what he called a period of crisis while working at the Vatican embassy in Washington DC.
The Italian will serve his sentence at the Vatican barracks, where he has been held since being recalled from Washington last year.
According to Vatican News, Msgr Capella said he realised that his actions were vulgar and ‘improper’ and apologised for the pain his ‘fragility’ and ‘weakness’ had caused his family, his diocese and the Holy See.
Capella was recalled to the Vatican last year after the US State Department asked for his diplomatic immunity to be waived so he could be prosecuted in America.
The Vatican refused the request.
Canadian Police then issued an arrest warrant for Msgr Capella in September 2017 in relation to possessiion and distribution of child pornography.
The material was allegedly downloaded while he was in Canada during his time as a functionary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington DC.
Msgr Capella was ordained in 1993 and joined the Vatican diplomatic corps in 2004.
Before taking up his role in Washington, he held posts in Hong Kong and India.
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