Italy abuse case highlights how scandal slowly beginning to come to light in pope’s backyard

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The clergy sexual abuse scandal is slowly gathering steam in Italy. There is increasing media coverage, some criminal convictions and the launch Monday of an investigative podcast dedicated to a case that tangentially involved Pope Francis. A Sicilian court last week convicted a priest of sexual violence and attempted sexual violence against three minors and sentenced him to four and a half years in prison. It also held his diocese, Piazza Armerina in Sicily, liable for separate civil damages and legal fees. That was a significant ruling given the influence the Catholic Church wields in all aspects of Italian society, particularly in small-town Sicily.