Posted on 02/05/2025 4:10:41 PM PST by ebb tide
The Court of Impeachment of Salta, Argentina, has confirmed the sentence of four years and six months "in prison" against Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, former Bishop of Orán.
His crime was the persistent homosexual abuse of seminarians. About 20 people testified about inappropriate touching, kisses on the neck, or sexual advances by Zanchetta. The court found the testimony to be consistent and credible.
Zanchetta once told his seminarians during a pizza and movie night that "he didn't have an erection that day".
According to media reports, he also had homosexual pornographic images, including of himself, on his phone.
The original sentence was handed down in March 2022. Due to "health concerns," Zanchetta's prison sentence was commuted to a very comfortable house arrest in a diocesan convent.
Zanchetta's lawyers had requested the annulment of the proceedings, citing alleged formal irregularities in the case. They also challenged the evaluation of the evidence, pointing out that the testimony of the complainants was contradictory and that the behavior described was not sexual in nature.
Zanchetta is a friend of Francis. He was appointed bishop of Oran in 2013 and resigned in 2017, citing "health problems". Shortly after, the Vatican gave him a position in the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.
In December 2024, the "arrested" Zanchetta traveled to a hospital in Rome for medical treatment.
Ping
Pappy Frank has some interesting friends.
Go easy on him, tie a millstone to his neck and throw him into the sea.
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