The case involving Monsignor Carlo Capella is the first time under Pope Francis that the Vatican has convicted one of its own ex-diplomats for such crimes. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)
VATICAN CITY — A former Holy See diplomat who had admitted to viewing and sharing child pornography was sentenced Saturday by a Vatican court to a five-year prison term and a fine of 5,000 euros.
The punishment for Monsignor Carlo Capella approached the maximum allowed by the code of this city-state and was the first time under Pope Francis that the Vatican has convicted one of its own ex-diplomats for such crimes.
The verdict was read by a tribunal president, following a two-day trial in which Capella had said he started viewing the pornography during a period of personal “crisis” that began when he was moved to a posting in Washington, D.C.
The trial came as the Catholic Church is under mounting pressure to more forcefully address the issues of clerical abuse. Capella had been serving at the Holy See’s Washington Embassy until last year, when the State Department notified the Vatican that it suspected one of its diplomats of a possible crime “related to child pornography images.” The Vatican then recalled Capella, rebuffing a U.S. request that his diplomatic immunity be dropped so he could be prosecuted in the United States.
According to Vatican code, distributing or disseminating child pornography can be punished by up to five years of imprisonment and fines reaching 10,000 euros (about $11,660). But penalties can increase if a “considerable quantity of pornographic material” is involved. The Vatican’s news release earlier this year about the charges against Capella mentioned a “large quantity” of material. Prosecutors on Saturday, according to the Associated Press, had asked that Capella be sentenced to five years and nine months.
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