Indian priest under house arrest for sex abuse in Italy

An Indian priest is under house arrest after he confessed to sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl in Italy.

The 40-year-old priest, identified only as David, according to IANS, confessed to sexually abusing the victim December 19 last year when he visited the family while her parents were away.

The confession was made in Teramo, a city in central Italy, before Prosecutor Bruno Auriemma, his defence lawyer Giovanni Gebbia and local priest Davide Pagnottella.

The priest, said to be studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was arrested on Monday after he returned from India after visiting his ailing mother.

He is the first priest to be arrested in Italy since the Vatican published revised guidelines stating that priests suspected of molesting children must be reported to police.

David's lawyer Gebbia said his client had been singled out because of the increasing scrutiny against the Catholic Church after allegations of child sexual abuses by priests have emerged in several European countries.

"He has suffered because of the current climate. This climate is not at all calm," Gebbia was quoted saying.

The spokesman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) meanwhile said the priest should be prosecuted under Italian law.

"If someone is guilty, they must face the law. We won't protect them," Babu Karakombil said.

The accused priest, according to sources, might face up to 12 years in jail. The penalty for sexual violence under Italian law ranges from six to 12 years.